Acro Crab Eating Coral

[chatyak]

Is this a harmless acro crab or a pest kind? I know the smooth, small red acros are pretty much beneficial. I've had this coral with this crab for about a month now - and as you can see the coral has gone white, presumably tissue death, in the area where the crab sits all the time - OR is it eating it?

It appears to be green and hairy with black claws.

 

[dzhuo]

It's a Cymo andreossyi and known to be an aggressive SPS nipper in captivity. I would just remove it.

 

[chatyak]

Could I place it in the sump or will it not survive there?

 

[dzhuo]

It will most likely not survive in the sump without a coral host. Cymo andreossyi forms obligatory symbiont with SPS and are found almost exclusively living in the host's branches. If you have nowhere to send him, might as well let it live in the sump and see what happen.

 

[chatyak]

I will put it in the sump and see how it fares. I found it on other SPS last night as well. Most definately a Cyamo after being able to see it closer.

 

[correctamundo]

That is definitely not an acro crab!
Thats an sps eating crab in an acropora.

Get rid of it!

I has something breaking off tips of my sps, I had to set up an IR nightvision camera to see what it was. I had 3 of these hiding in the rockwork in my SPS tank that I didnt know about.

 

[Softhammer]

A good rule of thumb I have found is that if its a fuzzy crab, it's going to eat expensive stuff. Smooth shelled crabs are usually good. Not a hard and fast rule but seems to work with the hitch-hikers we end up with.

 

[chatyak]

I put it in the sump on some LR - haven't seen it since.