Crab ID?

Birdlady · 12-16-2004, 06:27 PM

It was really hard to get a pic of this little guy....I cleaned out my sump this weekend and when I pulled out all the carbonate scrapings, a piece started to walk!!!! It was this little crab, with black tips on his claws. It is about a half inch across. I put it into the fuge for now.

Can anyone tell me what it is? My rock is Fiji. If you can tell from this lousy pic....Thanks!!

Craig Manoukian · 12-16-2004, 07:24 PM

No crab ID here, but in general, crabs with that carapice and claws are sump only as they murder hermits and fish. They can become quite large for tanks like ours.

OoNickoC · 12-16-2004, 09:12 PM

I hae no clue as to thier species (always too covered in stuff) but I find about 20-30 of em with our LR shipments usually. I decided to stick some in my cube as they were tiny (.25-1cm) and only see one occasionally. But i myseriously lost many hermits and some of my small snails since then. I agree with Craig....crbs that look like that are bad news...like the red-eye rock crab.

OldandNew · 12-17-2004, 04:30 AM

Besides color, that crab kind of looks like three I have hidding in my 1000 Island LR. They are about 1 cm across the back. They have not emerged from the rock, yet. My LFS guy says that once they get big, they will topple rock. Get rid of them. So far, when observed, mine were eating algae. Right now, not a bad thing. Once they get big enough to move the rock in my tank, they won't be big enough to hide.

I like crab cakes.

Cheers,
Ray

Craig Manoukian · 12-17-2004, 04:36 AM

Juvenile crabs are algeavores but usually become carnivorous as they mature. My Scarlet Hermits so far have not developed a carnivorous bent as they have matured.

Birdlady · 12-17-2004, 07:08 PM

Thanks all! I figured he was bad news! Perhaps I will give him to the LFS to feed to the Triggers!

Craig Manoukian · 12-17-2004, 07:40 PM

A Blue Octopus would like a nice crab cake like that!

OldandNew · 12-18-2004, 04:38 AM

LFS guy told me to get a small necked jar and to drop a cocktail shrimp in it. Lay it in the rock at about a 45% angle. The little crabs will go in after the shrimp over night, but can't get a foothold on the glass at that angle. The small necked glass is to help exclude other good critters in your tank from getting into the trap. He said in the morning, you would find crabs in the glass. I guess one might try this once a week untill the trap came up empty??? I'm going to try this in a few days. I'll let you all know how it works.

Cheers,
Ray

Birdlady · 12-18-2004, 04:47 AM

Yes! Please do! While I can easily get the one, I am sure there are probably others! Let us know how many you get!

Birdlady · 01-24-2005, 05:03 PM

I feel the need to revive this thread...because I am female, I guess, I just did not have the heart to smoosh this little guy! So I am working in my sump and I figure, I best get him out of here...(feeling guilty all the while) and I thought I would get a nice pic of him out of the water so here ya go....