crabs on LR

I just got about 10lb of LR and i noticed some crabs on it. There not hermits i no for sure

There gray in color and i want to know if there safe for my tank

Its a FOWLR tank

also i would like to know if carbon is safe for live rocks and if it helps in the curing process

 

they should be ok if they are under the size of a quarter most crabs are dangerous to little critters and some corals...but since you have a fowlr tank you should be fine!

 

would the crabs harm feather dusters?

 

dont think so i have 4 crabs and 1 giant feather duster and mine is still groin' happy so i would say no.

 

just a quick question
what do people use to scrub LR when curing?

 

I used a finger nail brush and a tooth brush. Pretty much any non-metallic brush will work.

 

As far as carbon goes, yes you can use it when curing live rock. You just don't want to use it all the time(months at a time)because it will soak up alot of nutrients from your tank like trace elements. Becareful too, because alot of the carbons out there will raise your phosphates in your tank.

 

Identify those crabs

Be careful with unidentified crabs they can get very nasty very quick

 

As far as carbon: some people use it all the time others never others sometimes. phosphates from carbon should not be a problem as long as you use Quality carbon NOT made from coal.
I run carbon All the time on 2 tanks and never on my touch tank it is a mater of opinion

 

That is interesting because pet shops and some books state that carbon shouldn't be used all the time. I like it because It cleans and clears the water(yellow tint). There is a good product on the market called "RENEW" by Seachem. It is a carbon replacement(appearantly, regular carbon releases phosphates) and is less aggressive than carbon.