acro crab eggs?

[blackthunda77]

Ok so i got some new pieces of acros and on one of the smooth skin ones, i believe a deepwater species, i was acclimating it to my lights this past week and today when i moved it and inspected it a bit i saw what "seemed" to be a clutch of eggs. i might very well just be paraniod but i dont know. well i got the acro a bout a week ago and i dont see the tell tale signs of the flatworm bite marks and the acro is healthy and polyps extending. the only thing i can visually see on it is an acro crab. do those crabs lay eggs on the acro? i know i have a female mantis shrimp and she has laid a clutch of eggs and obviously they were unfertile since she was the only animal in that tank. so do these crabs do the same? i hope to god it was eggs from the crab and not aefw. in any event, i scraped them off.

 

[drawman]

I wouldn't rule out AEFW at this point. I think it would be less likely they are from an acro crab. If possible, I would quarantine this coral. If you already put it in your main display I would keep a close eye on the rest of your acros.

 

[blackthunda77]

all other arcros are fine from what it looks like.

 

[fishieness]

pretty much all crabs, including all acro crabs i have seen, hold their eggs under neigth their bodies until they hatch and she will let them go after a little while.. The eggs aren't from the acro crabs.
Do you have a picture or a description as far as size or coloration?

 

[chet_lau]

Most crustaceans do not lay there eggs on a surface. Instead they carry them on their underside and aerate them occasionally. When it is time for them to hatch they will shake them off. I have had acro crabs with eggs and they never lay them on a surface. I have however seen them shake them off in the night though.
i would think it might be a snail or something else. I would take a good look though to ensure they are not AEFW.

 

[blackthunda77]

yea that makes sense. ill keep an eye out to see the corals health. maybe ill dip it to see if anything comes off. would a freshwater dip work? i dont have any tmpcc right now.

 

[Husky_1]

I have not had good luck with Freshwater dips. If you cannot get TMPCC, I would suggest using fluke tabs, which can be found at bigAls, and manual removal of the eggs. You will want to do a couple of tank water dips before putting back into the system, as even the smallest amount of fluke tab residue can kill xenia and GSP.