Acro crab or pest crab?

[impur]

I just got this awesome pink mille over the weekend. I did not notice the crab nestled in between the branches until i got it acclimated. It is very tiny. At first i thought it was an acro crab. But after watching it for a few days, it looks to be digging into the coralites after food. I'm hoping that food isn't the polyps on this coral. The area he faces most is bleaching a little and I have yet to see polyps extend in this area. Hopefull someone can help me out with an id by these pics. The crab has blue eyes, harry legs, and pointed claws(not for algae eating) that are black at the tips.

 

[wrott]

Looks like it could be a pest. Can you see any patches of polyps missing?

 

[Reeses]

Hey, you've got my crab's twin!

It looks like a bad crab.
Hairy=bad.

I have two. One is almost identical to that one that lives on my rock and one white one that lives in the sand. I might be a little weird here, but I like them. I don't plan on doing anything until they get bigger and actually try to (or succeed) in hurting something. I know that they are opportunistic eaters and will try to take out fish. I don't know if they will eat corals or if they just use them to hide out. Both of mine are currently around the size of a nickel and haven't hurt a thing as of yet.

 

[impur]

Well i was just watching it and it really looks like its breaking little bits of the skeleton off and eating it. The bumps that form where the polyps come out of the coral at (corralites?), the crab looks to be eating that part. The polyps have not come out in that patch on the back branch in the picture. I can't see a polyp, i don't know if its retracted or eaten.

 

[2crazyreefers]

Looks like it has hairy legs ? If this is the case I would remove him now while you can. I have always been informed if they have hairy legs or if they have blue eyes to get then out. I couple months ago I founf one atleast 2 inches around in my tank which must have hitchicked a long time ago luckily I got him out.

 

[impur]

Well i've determined its a bad crab. I got it off the coral just now and got some better pics

Here is the damage

 

[impur]

I guess i could banish it to the sump. Glad i was able to get it out. Thanks for the help everyone, much appreciated!!

 

[supertech3]

I also caught a couple of crabs like that one was very difficult and you are lucky to catch him before he hides and gets bigger

 

[Reeses]

Hopefully, your mille will heal quickly. I only have zoanthids and they haven't touched them. Good to know, glad you got him out!

 

[roons]

black masked i leave, anything else gets a trip to yanksville, especially blue eyed floozies

 

[impur]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6797970#post6797970 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by roons
black masked i leave, anything else gets a trip to yanksville, especially blue eyed floozies

Good plan. I think i'll go with it as well from now on!