Above: a premium quality Red Apple Crab in one of our aquariums, when one of us snapped this picture.

Comments: This is a premium quality Crab that we rarely see in the live fish stores or in online fish stores that we visit.

Premium Crabs like this Crab are more hardy and more colorful than Crabs from other sources.

Click here for more about our premium quality Freshwater Crabs.

Origin: This Crab species lives near freshwater springs in Indonesia, where it was captured by collectors and shipped to us.

Maximum Size: In aquariums this Crab can grow to be about 1.5" wide.

Behaviors: They usually stay at the bottom of the tank, and have quite a personality. They will also climb on rocks and pieces of driftwood.

They can also be kept in a freshwater aquarium with a pile of rocks or pieces of driftwood that extends out of the water, where these crabs can get out of the water.

Compatibility: This is a terrarium inhabitant rather than a true aquarium inhabitant. We are told that Dart Frogs are compatible.

Temperature: This Crab can live pretty well from about 70 to 80 degrees F., but they're probably most comfortable from about 75 to 78 degrees F. Probably best to heat their paludarium with an under aquarium heater.

Feeding: a few Premium Fish Food Pellets and live or frozen foods like wingless fruit flies that are easy to breed in a jar.

Water Conditions: This Crab does not need water but it does need high humidity, which can be provided with a smallish container of freshwater without salt.

Here in our facilities the water is hard and the pH is usually about 7.8. We ship them in this water.

Aquarium Size: These guys can do well living in a 20 to 30-gallon paludarium, but of course bigger is better.

Decor: These Crabs do best in a paludarium (which is a terrarium with some water) with a bedding of coconut fibers and/or peat moss, plus some live plants and driftwood.

The humidity must be high in the range of 80 to 100% of saturation, so it's probably best to have a small accessible container of unsalted water and keep the paludarium tightly covered.

Aquarium Filter: Probably not needed. Just keep a smallish container of unsalted freshwater and change that water, if it becomes cloudy or stale.

The addition of Lava Rocks in the water will keep nitrates in the ideal range and help the Crabs climb out of the water.

Click here to learn more about using Lava Rocks in aquariums (and paludariums).

Life Span: This Crab can live for a few years.

Gender: Males show off great color and females are duller.

Breeding: These Crabs will often breed in captivity, where they deposit their eggs in water. Later the baby Crabs emerge to live outside of the water container.

Popularity: These freshwater crabs are rather popular.

Names: This species name is Perisesarma bidens.

Variations: There are no variations that we know of now.

Click here for more information about Freshwater Crabs.

We hope you've enjoyed reading these comments.