Moon or Halloween crabs

[Hypancistrus]

Hey folks, I'm looking to get a couple of invertebrates for my classroom so my animal behavior students have interesting non-reptile critters to watch and care for. I'm considering Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches and was hoping to also get some type of crab. I've been looking into the "moon crabs" we see at reptile shows in the area and now I see that they can also be called Halloween crabs, but that this may be an entirely different species.

Can anyone help me out on this, and/or point me towards some reliable info on these guys?

[Alexandra V]

Sorry I'm not solid on crabs and crab info, but if you're talking about the purple and orange ones that I've seen under the name Halloween Crab then I'd say that they're freaking awesome. That would be a great addition to a classroom!

[qiksilver]

Can anyone help me out on this, and/or point me towards some reliable info on these guys?

Google?

Google them for a caresheet. Here are some people's personal experiences http://www.arachnoboards.com/ab/showthread.php?t=85361

Also, you're not expecting a handleable animal correct?

There are also Vampire crabs which are smaller and also land crabs.

[Hypancistrus]

Yes, we're fine with no handling. I've got some aquatic turtles and a rather unfriendly Children's Python that the students understand are "look but don't touch" animals.

I've tried googling them and the information I've found has been confusing and has implied that there are several species called the same thing, each with very different requirements. Hence why I asked, to find out if anyone had a caresheet that they personally had used and had success with.

[mpianter]

I used to have a 20L tank with alot of sand and have its sloped so there are places to burrow and then a water end. i had heating issues and couldnt get it figured out i owned two of them and jusst had the lil cheap normal owns that i fed to my peacock mantis. but i could never find that much info either. ill look for my old crab dealers number and you can talk to him.