Purple Samurai Crab (Somanniathelphusa sinensis)

*Can be fully aquatic, but they need high oxygen levels. 

Care

It will be better to add a lid to prevent them from escaping. You should have plenty of rocks and pieces of wood in the tank for them to hide especially when you are keeping more than one crab.

Diet

You can provide them vegetables like sprouts and zucchini, as well as apples, pears, and bananas. They will eat mosquito larvae, chopped earthworms, sardines, tuna, and mussels as well. They will eat most any dry food, such as fish flakes, shrimp pellets, or dried algae flakes. You can also give them cuttlebone or crushed eggshells for extra calcium.

Molting And Reproducing

They will molt every few months, and will usually eat their own exoskeletons after molting. They move slowly and  stop eating before molting. Please do not disturb them at those time. They can breed in freshwater enviroment. Their offsprings do not have larvae stage. However, breeding is still a difficult task. Female crabs rarely come out when they hold eggs. It is not easy to aware that your female crab is having eggs. If you are lucky to see baby crabs grounding, please not only separate the babies from adults but also separate the babies from each other too or provide them many hiding space. They will hunt each other if you don’t.

Behavior

Ideally male and female ratio should be 1:1 or 1:2. The males are territorial, your tank should be big enough if you want to keep more males. They are attractive looking crabs for a hobby aquarium, and they are easy to care for.

Special Notes

Samurai crabs are relatively easy to keep, and they are entertaining to watch.