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Pom Pom Crab
Ptychognathus barbatus
📍 Southeast Asia (Thailand, Malaysia)
The Pom Pom Crab is a small, peaceful freshwater crab native to Southeast Asia, named for its distinctive feathery antennae that resemble pom poms. These crabs are filter feeders that spend much of their time sifting through substrate and water column for biofilm and detritus. They make excellent additions to planted tanks and are generally safe with peaceful fish and invertebrates.
Care Guide
Diet
Pom Pom Crabs are filter feeders that primarily consume biofilm, algae, and organic detritus from the water column and substrate. Supplement with high-quality sinking pellets, blanched vegetables (zucchini, spinach), and occasional protein sources like bloodworms. A mature, established tank with abundant biofilm is essential for their long-term health.
Behavior
These crabs are nocturnal and spend most of their time on the substrate or plants, using their feathery antennae to filter-feed from the water. They are generally sedentary and peaceful, rarely interacting aggressively with tank mates. They may occasionally molt, during which they are vulnerable and should be left undisturbed.
Breeding
Breeding Pom Pom Crabs in freshwater aquariums is extremely difficult and rarely successful in captivity. Females may produce eggs, but larvae typically require brackish water to develop properly. Most specimens in the hobby are wild-caught, making captive breeding impractical for hobbyists.
Tank Mates
Similar peaceful filter-feeding behavior and biofilm consumption; no predatory interaction
Peaceful scavengers with similar ecological niche; minimal territorial conflict
Peaceful algae eaters that occupy different feeding zones; generally compatible
Small, peaceful fish that do not prey on or compete with filter-feeding crabs
Tiny, non-aggressive fish that coexist peacefully with bottom-dwelling crabs
Provides shelter, biofilm growth surface, and grazing area for crabs
Common Diseases
Molting Complications
Crab stuck in old exoskeleton, inability to fully shed, lethargy after molting
Ensure stable water parameters and adequate calcium (via cuttlebone or mineral supplements); provide hiding places; avoid disturbance during molt; maintain pristine water quality
Shell Erosion / Calcium Deficiency
Soft or pitted exoskeleton, difficulty molting, visible shell degradation
Add calcium supplements or cuttlebone to tank; increase water hardness (4-8 dGH); ensure varied diet with protein; perform regular water changes
Bacterial Infection
Discoloration, lesions on body or legs, lethargy, loss of appetite
Perform 25-30% water changes; maintain pristine water quality with zero ammonia/nitrite; isolate if severely affected; consider antibacterial medication if condition worsens
Copper Toxicity
Lethargy, loss of appetite, erratic behavior, death
Never use copper-based medications in tanks with crabs; avoid fertilizers and treatments containing copper; perform large water changes if copper exposure occurs; use activated carbon in filter
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Quick Facts
- diet
- Omnivore / detritivore / filter feeder
- lifespan
- 2-3 years
- max size
- 2 cm (0.75 in)
- tank size
- 10 gallons minimum
- temperament
- peaceful
Water it likes
- ph
- 6.5-7.5
- ammonia
- 0 ppm
- nitrate
- <20 ppm
- hardness
- 4-8 dGH
- temperature
- 72–79°F (22–26°C)