usps was later than the usual late but was packed well
of course usps was later than the usual late day but was happy they were all packed well
Crab shipments are paused while we relocate our livestock operation. Until vampire crabs are back, this page is our care guide: what they need, what to plant, and which tank mates work. Everything you need to build the paludarium ships now.
Vampire crab quick facts
- Species: Geosesarma (purple, red devil, orchid, carnival and rainbow vampire crabs are all small Geosesarma species)
- Adult size: about 1 inch across the shell, 2 inches with legs
- Lifespan: roughly 2 to 3 years
- Setup: a paludarium with more land than water: about two thirds land, one third shallow fresh water
- Temperature: 75 to 82°F; humidity: 75% or higher
- Diet: omnivore: sinking pellets, bloodworms, small insects, fruit and leaf litter
- Group: one male with two or three females; two males will fight
- Breeding: fully in fresh water, no saltwater stage, so they can breed in a well-kept paludarium
How to set up a vampire crab paludarium
Vampire crabs are semi-terrestrial. They spend most of the day on land under cover and visit the water to drink, molt and keep their gills wet. Build the land side first: a few inches of moist substrate (coco fiber or an aquarium soil mix), cork bark, driftwood and dense planting for hiding places. The water side needs only 1 to 3 inches of dechlorinated fresh water with an easy ramp out, since the crabs cannot swim well. A tight-fitting lid matters more than anything else: vampire crabs climb silicone and airline tubing and will leave an open tank.
Mist the enclosure daily or run a small fogger to hold humidity above 75%. Keep the water filtered or change a third of it weekly, and keep copper out of the tank: copper-based medications and some fertilizers are lethal to crabs and snails.
What to plant
Choose plants that live happily with wet roots and humid air. Epiphytes attached to wood above the waterline are the easiest and the crabs climb them:
- Anubias and Bucephalandra for the land-water edge
- Moss for ground cover that holds moisture and hides molting crabs
- Ferns for height and shade on the land side
- Floating plants to shade the water and give the crabs something to grip
All live plants ship with a live arrival guarantee, and orders over $79 ship free.
Tank mates that work
Snails are the safest companions. Mystery snails and nerites graze algae in the water section and are too large to be eaten, and they do the cleanup the crabs will not. Avoid fish that live near the surface, dwarf shrimp (they become food during molts) and any second male crab in a small enclosure. If pest snails take over the water section, a pair of assassin snails will thin them without harming the crabs.
Molting
A crab that hides for days and stops eating is usually about to molt. Leave it alone, keep humidity high and leave the shed shell in the tank; the crab eats it to recover calcium. A cuttlebone on the land side gives the same minerals year round.
Other freshwater crabs
Pom pom crabs are the exception in this group: they are fully aquatic and fit a planted community tank with snails. Fiddler crabs and red clawed crabs need a land area and slightly brackish water, so they are not a match for a planted freshwater tank or for live plants.
Frequently asked questions
Can vampire crabs live fully underwater? No. They drown without land. Plan for mostly land with a shallow pool.
Do vampire crabs need a heater? Only if the room drops below 72°F. A low-watt heater in the water section or a small heat mat on one side of the land area is enough.
When will vampire crabs be back in stock? After our relocation is complete. Check back here, and build the setup in the meantime: the plants and snails for it are available now.
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About freshwater crabs
Know one thing before you buy: most freshwater crabs, vampire crabs especially, are semi-terrestrial. They need land as much as water — a paludarium or a tank with an above-water platform, cork bark, or a built-up shoreline — and a setup that's all water will slowly fail them. Get the habitat right and they reward you: vampire crabs patrol their territory, scavenge anything edible, and interact with each other constantly. They're escape artists of the highest order, so a tight-fitting lid is mandatory, not optional. Keep them warm and humid, feed an omnivore diet, and expect them to hide for a day or two after each molt.
Freshwater crab FAQs
Do vampire crabs need land?
Yes — this is the make-or-break requirement. Vampire crabs are semi-terrestrial and spend much of their time out of the water; they need a paludarium-style setup with roughly half land (or a generous above-water area) and shallow water access. In a fully aquatic tank they become stressed, stop eating, and decline. If you only have a standard filled aquarium, choose a fully aquatic species instead — or build the shoreline first.
What do freshwater crabs eat?
Nearly everything, in small amounts: sinking pellets, algae wafers, bloodworms, blanched vegetables, bits of fish or shrimp, and whatever detritus they find on patrol. Variety matters more than volume — a rotating omnivore diet keeps colors bright and molts clean. Remove uneaten food from the land area within a day; humidity turns leftovers fast.
Can crabs live with fish and shrimp?
With care, and with honest expectations. Vampire crabs are largely peaceful but opportunistic — very small, slow, or bottom-sleeping tankmates can get pinched, and molting shrimp are vulnerable to everyone. Fast mid-water fish generally coexist fine. The safer framing: crabs are the centerpiece of a species-focused paludarium, not a cleanup crew for a community tank.
Invertebrate care guides → — setup, feeding, and habitat guidance from our aquascaping team.