Tips on keeping Aegla (pancoras)

[fatboy]

After discovering this species in a recent thread, I am very interested in keeping some. I've been reading about the online, translations of German and Spanish. Before I try and buy some, I'd like to make sure I understand their basic needs.

The tank I would use is a 25 gallon with small, round gravel that has been running for 5 months. Filter will be a fluval Plus 3 and eventually I'll change this to a sponge filter run by a powerhead so I can keep small shrimp. It's currently planted and I'll add rock caves, enough to give each Aegla a few choices aswell as bigger ones they can share. Water conditions will be the same for dwarf shrimp and I will try keeping them with bee shrimp and filter-feeding shrimp.

How does this sound? Any tips you can give would be much appreciated.

[Veneer]

Exactly what species do you have in mind?

[fatboy]

I'm not sure what species I will be able to find. I've called a lot of fish shops and a couple said they occassionally receive Aegla platensis or Aeglas described on the documentation as 'Paraguay' Aegla or just plain Aegla.

The only solid description was that they were small and quite round. The colour varied from sandy brown (named 'A platensis' or Aegla) to a dirty matt blue (named Aegla or pancora in one instance). All the shops were going off memory so the descriptions could be wrong.

If I can't find any in the UK I might try importing them from Germany. I recently had a succesful shipment of shrimp and would be confident to try again.

I think this is an A pancora. I've seen the same image used elswhere with that name.

http://www.interaquaristik.de/catalog/xanario_pinfo.php?xP=Krabbenkrebs_Aegla_spec&xC=Hummer__Krebse-Krabbenkrebse&sessID=c8ecfc8715b765bcdc795412035e6897

I will email the shop on Monday asking for more details from them.

By the way, is there a common name for the type of animal, similar to crab or crayfish? Do people just refer to them as aeglas?

[Robert]

Hi,
I never kept them myself, so I can't speak about my experiences with them. But I spoke with the Brazilian who kept the ones which you saw on Livio's pictures. These Aeglas sp. seem to need lots of oxigen and relatively low temperatures (around 20°C) I guess) because they came from rivers in the subtropical part of South America. So provide them lots of oxigen. That they came from rivers does not mean that they like a strong current, so please add some large rocks or drift wood pieces to hide if you consider to add a strong pump. BTW, the Brazilian had no luck with them and lost them again if I remember correctly.

regards
Robert

[zwergkrebs]

I breed Aegla plantensis. The color varies from blue to brown. Does not depent on the individual, but can change from molt to molt. I keep them at low temperature ( 24°C max)

[Walter]

Very unique creatures, anyone with links of more pictures of them? :D Don't see them sold in singapore, probably due to our warm weather.

[fatboy]

Very unique creatures, anyone with links of more pictures of them? :D Don't see them sold in singapore, probably due to our warm weather.

Here's a good picture from crusta10, the german site:
http://www.crusta10.de/userimages/Aegla78.JPG

Here's the album of zwergkrabs, who has posted above:
http://photobucket.com/albums/v322/zwergkrebszuechter/

I especially like the pictures on page two. They look so strange.

Zwergkrebs, you have some beautiful animals. :p