Ok, so I got this pompom crab...

[GinaD]

My He's a She!

Hey, my little pompom crab has a ball of bight orange eggs under her! Guess it's too late to get her a boyfriend if I want those eggs fertilized...

 

[~Flighty~]

I think crabs get the eggs fertilized before they develop that far so they might be fertile.

 

[GinaD]

Really?? EXCELLENT! I hope you're right, Cindy I love these little guys. Their backs look like stained-glass. Do you know any more about them, like how long before the eggs hatch? They just appeared today. (I saw the crab yesterday and there were no eggs yet.)

 

[~Flighty~]

Problem is I don't think the crabs are raisable in a tank. Peppermint shrimp can be done, but that's the only fancy crustacean I know of and it is pretty challenging.

 

[GinaD]

Oh, Pooh! Thanks, Cindy - Do you know why that is?

 

[~Flighty~]

I don't know specifically about the pom pom crab, but in general ocean critters have a planktonic stage that we can't keep alive in our tanks. They drift around and are delicate enough that touching stuff like pumps and filters damages them. They also need food that we don't have in our water. The list of critters that we can breed in our tanks (and we pay a lot for) is pretty short. If I could figure out how to raise shrimps that go for $25 at the store I sure would.