My Experiences with Sulawesi/Matano Crabs-Care Guide for Matano Crabs
Since publishing this guide, I have posted a more informative, up to date guide for these crabs I highly recommend you read instead of this guide. Here is the link: https://liamhopkinscrab.blogspot.com/2021/01/sulawesimatano-crab-care-guide-revised.html
First off, there are four (technically five, but the fifth species is yet to be kept in aquariums) sulawesi crabs in the hobby. The most common being the Panther Crab, Parathelphusa Pantherina. Then, the gold leg/Towuti crab, Parathelphusa Ferrugina. Then the two Matano Mulloscovore crabs, the Purple Matano Crab; Syntripsa Matannensis, and the White Claw Sulawesi crab; Sytnripsa Flavichela. I've been lucky enough to keep them all and can say they're all very similar care wise, but all have their special knacks. Before I dive into each individual species, I'll give a few tips for every species. First, and most importantly, water parameters. Despite what you might read online, these crabs don't do well below 7.8 pH. In theory they can tolerate as low as 7.0, but below 7.8 they lose color and get lethargic. They also need warmer water, I keep my matano crab tanks at 82 degrees. If you keep your parameters in check they're pretty simple to keep. They are nocturnal, and will hide in caves during the day so having lots of hiding spots is crucial. They are very shy. They are not picky when it comes to eating. Mine except all pellet and flake foods, but love Hikari Crab Cuisine the most. In the wild, these crabs are molluscovores, and feed on snails, so they're an excellent way to take care of pest ramshorn snails. All the crabs I've had love ramshorn snails. Finally, and most importantly, these crabs are extremely adept at escaping. I lost my gold leg and my panther crab to them escaping. Though they can live out of water for a long period of time, their gills will get too dry if the room isn't extremely humid, so once they get out they will most likely not survive, so escape proofing the tank is vital. I'll make a post about how to do that soon. I lost my white claw sulawesi crab to a fungal infection it had when shipped to me, and I lost my purple matano crab to an inadequate pH, as it dropped to a 7.3. Anyway, here's a little info on the crabs, and things I've learned through mt experiences. All photos are mine :)
White Claw Sulawesi Crab
Syntripsa Flavichela
This is the one white claw crab I had, I had him for only a week before he succumbed to a fungal infection he was shipped to me with. I also had a purple matano crab with the same infection, but he survived. As for the white claws, they're the most unique of the sulawesi/matano crabs. They're also the most delicate and least hardy. First off, they're much smaller than the others, growing to maybe 4 inches maximum. Secondly, they're much less aggressive, and can be kept with other fish and other crabs of their own kind. All matano crabs like to burrow, but white claws are the most vigorous of burrowers. I'm not quite sure what else there is to these guys, since I haven't been able to find anymore after I lost this one, hopefully I can more soon. These are without doubt the best choice for a matano crab if you want to keep them in a community tank. Once I get more of them I will write more about them and their care.
Purple Matano Crab
Syntripsa Matannensis
First off, these crabs are exceedingly beautiful. In the wild, they mainly feed of snails, and they're the most prolific of snail hunters. I've only had one of the purple matano crabs, but I had him for quite a while and really loved him. When I first got him, I got him with the white claw crab and tried to put them together (a horrible idea, they would've killed each other if the white claw didn't kick the can). Because he was with the white claw he also got the fungal infection. I treated using anti-fungal and anti-bacteria medicine, Microbe-life to be exact, and also gave them a salt bath daily. It worked, and this guy survived. He died do to me allowing the pH to slip, and he died at the hands of too low a pH. He was the shyest of my matano crabs, and he never even thought about leaving his cave until after 11 PM. They get quite large, probably about 6 inches full grown. They would not be safe in a community tank I don't believe. They are easily spooked but eat a lot. They dig burrows too but aren't too dedicated at it. I'm close to securing a male/female pair of these crabs and trying to breed them. I will be updating on that here and on my instagram @colorado_crustaceans.
Panther Crab
Parathelphusa Pantherina
I wasn't expecting to get this guy, but my local fish store got him from someone who couldn't care for him anymore, and of course, I wasn't going to say no. I had him for maybe two months before he escaped and was found dead in our bathroom a week later. I got him when he was close to full grown. He was not shy and was super robust. He even gave me a nasty pinch when I was cleaning his tank. These are the most common crabs from Sulawesi in the hobby, and also the most durable. They can handle lower temps and pH. They also come in an albino color variation which is pretty cool to see. I've never kept the albino panther crab, but I've seen them around. These guys are the most voracious matano crab, they eat a ton. This guy ate maybe 40 ramshorn snails while I had him. They're very personable and less shy than the other matano crabs, and also extremely beautiful and eye-catching. I think they could be kept with fish, but I would expect them to catch any bottom feeders or slow fish.
Albino Panther Crab
Gold Leg/Towuti Crab
Parathelphusa Ferruginea
My last matano crab was my gold leg. He was the longest lived and most enjoyable crab I've had to date. He also escaped, telling me that the Parathelphusa crabs are much better at escaping than the syntripsa crabs. This is probably due to the fact that the parathelphusa are much less shy in my experience. These guys enjoy a varied diet, with a mix of meat and plant based pellet foods, occasional blood worms (thought not too often or else it'll cause molting issues) and of course, ramshorn snails. A friend gave me killifish and I had no other tank to put them in, so they both ended up in his tank. He ate both of them. The gold legs seem to be the best predators of the bunch. They also love plant based foods, and I've even seen this one feeding on algae. They dig burrows and love deep dark caves. Their burrows are simple but large in my experience. I'm also hoping to get a pair of these to try and breed.
Well, this concludes my first blog, and this care guide. All of this is simply based on my experiences with these amazing crabs. Soon, I'll release a blog about how to make a proper matano crab tank. Stay tuned, and thanks for reading...
-Liam
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