Freshwater Pom Pom Crab (Ptychognathus barbatus)
- In stock, ready to ship
- Backordered, shipping soon
We are extremely proud and excited to be one of the first North American retailers to offer the freshwater Pom Pom Crab (Ptychognathus barbatus), a true gem and consummate nano aquarium specimen!
This extremely rare freshwater crab has proven to be a very endearing, interesting, and durable candidate for the freshwater community aquarium. Very little information is available for this crab, but we have done extensive research to determine proper husbandry for this crab at our in-house facility.
Like most crabs, the Freshwater Pom Pom Crab is an omnivorous scavenger and an opportunistic hunter on occasion. In addition to eating food items that collect on the patches of hair (“pom poms”) that grow on its claws, it feeds on filamentous algae and detritus in the aquarium and will also readily accept high-quality dry foods that are rich in plant matter. We also occasionally feed these crabs protein-rich frozen foods such as bloodworms, but only sparingly.
The Freshwater Pom Pom Crab reportedly has pockets of population throughout many tropical and sub-tropical regions in Africa, Asia, and Australia, particularly Madagascar, Taiwan, and New Caledonia. It inhabits both brackish and fully freshwater areas and it is suspected that this crab spawns in brackish water and its fry go through a larval stage similar to many amphidromous crustaceans that live in freshwater as adults but spawn in brackish areas. To our knowledge, spawning in the aquarium has not yet been reported. Unlike most “freshwater” crabs, this crab is truly fully aquatic. However, we recommend keeping your water line relatively low or keeping a lid on your aquarium, as these crabs are occasional escape artists.
This crab is generally peaceful towards snails and most fish from what we have experienced but it may go after dwarf shrimp, very small snails, small bottom dwelling fish, and slow moving fish that are very small. As stated above, like almost all crabs, it is an opportunistic omnivore. It is much heftier, active, and more outgoing than the peaceful Thai Micro Crab (Limnopilos naiyanetri), and for the most part it shares the same disposition. There have been instances where certain individuals have shown aggression towards dwarf shrimp, so they may not be safe to keep with dwarf shrimp all of the time, particularly in the confines of a very small aquarium. Overall, this crab will make for a completely ideal, exciting candidate in most nano, community, or planted aquariums.
* It’s important to note that this is a very small crab (most will be 1 inch or less at the time of purchase but they can grow up to 1.5 to 1.75 inches). This small size makes them ideal for nano tanks as mentioned above *
- Very active with peaceful disposition towards most tank mates
- Less aggressive than many other crabs
- Fully aquatic
- Easy to feed
- Excellent scavenger
- Temperature: 68° - 78° F (20° - 25° C)
- pH: 6.8 - 7.2
- KH: 1 - 5 dKH
- Minimum tank size: 5 gallons
- Diet: Omnivorous. High-quality sinking flakes and pellets, plants/algae, and freeze-dried or frozen meaty foods will be readily accepted. Cuttlebone should be added to the aquarium to supplement calcium, which will aid in exoskeleton production
- Social behavior: Peaceful. Seems to completely ignore most tankmates
- Caution: Some Individuals may go after dwarf shrimp
- Origin: Madagascar, Taiwan, New Caledonia
- Average adult size: 1 inch (2.5 cm) or less
- Average purchase size: 1/2 - 1 inch (1.3 - 2.5 cm)
Why are they called Pom Pom Crabs?
They get their name from the fuzzy, pom-pom–like tufts on their claws. These aren’t just decorative—they’re used to help collect food particles, which makes their feeding behavior really interesting to watch.
Are Freshwater Pom Pom Crabs fully aquatic?
Yes. Unlike many crabs sold for aquariums, Pom Pom Crabs are fully aquatic and do not require land access. They spend their entire lives underwater.
How big do Freshwater Pom Pom Crabs get?
They stay quite small, usually around 1 inch across the body. Their compact size makes them suitable for smaller, well-planned aquariums.
Are Pom Pom Crabs aggressive?
They’re generally peaceful, but they are territorial toward other crabs. They’re best kept singly or as a bonded pair in tanks with plenty of hiding spots.
Can Freshwater Pom Pom Crabs live with fish?
Yes, with care. They do best with small, peaceful fish that won’t harass them. Very slow or bottom-resting fish may be stressed by close contact.
Are Freshwater Pom Pom Crabs shrimp safe?
They’re not considered shrimp safe. While they’re not active hunters, small shrimp—especially juveniles—may be caught if given the opportunity.
What do Pom Pom Crabs eat?
They’re omnivorous scavengers. They’ll eat sinking pellets, wafers, frozen foods, and leftover fish food. They often “wave” their pom-poms to gather fine particles.
Do Freshwater Pom Pom Crabs hide a lot?
Yes, especially during the day. They’re more active at night and appreciate caves, rockwork, and dense cover to feel secure.
Are Pom Pom Crabs difficult to keep?
They’re not difficult, but they do require stable water conditions. They’re sensitive to poor water quality, so a cycled tank and consistent maintenance are important.
Who are Freshwater Pom Pom Crabs best suited for?
They’re ideal for aquarists who enjoy unique behavior and don’t mind a more subtle display animal. If you like observing natural habits rather than constant activity, Pom Pom Crabs are very rewarding.
For the safety of our animals, we only ship live fish, crabs, and select other inverts exclusively via UPS 1 Day Air. If your order contains this item, you will only see UPS 1 Day Air as a shipping option during checkout. If other items are in your cart that can ship with 2 day or standard shipping options the only shipping method you can still select is UPS 1 Day Air.
UPS 1 Day is a description of the duration of time a shipment will spend in transit once it has been shipped. This does not guarantee the package will be shipped the same or next day from which the order was placed.
Shipping Schedule for this service
Current Handling Time:
1-9 business days
Here at Aquatic Arts, we consider the welfare of the live animals we are shipping to be of the foremost importance. This process is much more involved than simply creating a shipping label and affixing it to a box. Depending on the order, it takes from 4 to 7 people to complete this process properly. We check the weather conditions here where they fly out of the Indianapolis UPS facility and the destination for each shipment. We start early each morning and go through a multi-step process to have the day's shipments prepared in time for the UPS pickup. The volume of orders in our system also affects the processing time. Therefore our stated handling time is 1-9 business days.
Shipping Rate
Pricing is by size of package needed to fill entire order and distance it must travel. It will be calculated at checkout.
