Purple vampire crab

Care at a glance

Overview

The purple vampire crab is a small, semi-terrestrial crab from Java for a planted paludarium. It is a step up from a beginner's pet.

Caring for the purple vampire crab

Purple vampire crabs are semi-terrestrial, so keep them in a paludarium, not a normal aquarium. Plan for a footprint of at least 10 gal (38 L), roughly 80 percent land with a shallow water area. Give them fine sand for burrowing, dense plants and bark hides. Keep the humidity high, with a tight lid to hold it in.

Keep the water warm, hard and alkaline, at 75 to 82°F (24 to 28°C) and a pH of 7.5 to 8.0. They spend their time on the substrate and climbing bark and plants. Feed a mix of dried foods, blanched vegetables and protein such as bloodworms or small bits of fish. Offer cuttlebone or another calcium source for molting.

Keep several females per male. Purple vampire crabs are mostly peaceful but territorial, and they are predatory toward other species. Do not mix them with fish, shrimp or other crabs, and choose any other tank mates with caution.

Females hold a small clutch of eggs and release tiny, fully formed crabs into fresh water. The adults are cannibalistic toward their own young. Breeding them is moderately difficult.

Good to know

Geosesarma dennerle is a small land crab in the family Sesarmidae, with a legspan of 4 to 5 cm. Most stock in the trade is wild collected.

In the wild

Purple vampire crabs come from Central Java, Indonesia. They live along stream banks and on damp forest floor, more than in the water itself.

Common questions

Related species

• 

  White mandarin vampire crab

  Geosesarma pontianak

  0.6 in (1.5 cm) · 10 gal (38 L)

  0.6 in (1.5 cm)10 gal (38 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)
• Purple arm vampire crab

  Geosesarma noduliferum

  0.6 in (1.5 cm) · 10 gal (38 L)

  0.6 in (1.5 cm)10 gal (38 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Blue-leg vampire crab

  Geosesarma bicolor

  2 in (5 cm) · 10 gal (38 L)

  2 in (5 cm)10 gal (38 L)75–82°F (24–28°C)

• 

  Orange vampire crab

  Geosesarma tiomanicum

  2 in (5 cm) · 11 gal (40 L)

  2 in (5 cm)11 gal (40 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)

• 

  Red vampire crab

  Geosesarma hagen

  2 in (5 cm) · 10 gal (38 L)

  2 in (5 cm)10 gal (38 L)72–82°F (22–28°C)

• 

  Mandarin vampire crab

  Geosesarma notophorum

  0.6 in (1.5 cm) · 16 gal (60 L)

  0.6 in (1.5 cm)16 gal (60 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)