Acro Crab Pest??

[kleach]

So I bought a really nice acro which had a crab living in it. The crab didn't seem to bother the coral since it always had polyp extension. Unfortunately I put the coral up too high and caused it to bleach a tiny bit. I lowered it in the tank and then over a month or two I noticed the coral slowly start losing its color (and only that coral). Thinking it was browning out because of lack of light I moved it back to a higher elevation. Well, I'm dumb and the bottom line is the colony fell to the bottom of the tank onto a brain coral which killed half the colony.

I thought the crab was dead because he wasn't in the original colony anymore, but today I saw he found a new home and I'm not too sure it was a good move. The new coral he's on, which always had polyp extension, had all of its polyps retracted. I stalked the forums to find an answer but not everyone seems to agree about this type of crab. Yes he is hairy, but he didn't seem to bother the other colony.

Then I started thinking, did the crab cause the original coral to stress out and brown out??? His new home is a very small colony which I can easily get out of the tank and remove him from, but what do you do from there? I really don't want to kill him. I have a 29 gallon backup tank downstairs with some toadstools, a shrimp and a flame angel I took out of my main display since he picked at the coral. If I put him in there would he be able to live without finding a coral home? It is my understanding that they DO eat some of the coral mucus, but that its such a small amount it doesn't hurt the coral. I just feel like a jerk destroying his home.

This picture is not mine. I found it on another forum, but this is exactly the type of crab I'm talking about. Please give any advice you can short of "Kill Him!!!" lol

http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd7/Coralmaker/crab2.jpg

 

[rovster]

Well, if you don't want to kill him, throw him somewhere he won't do any damage you don't want, like a sump or other tank.

 

[FranktheTankTx]

He a bad crab. To the sump.

 

[s_kelley]

Pointy claws and hairy, is that a gorilla crab? Those are bad news!

 

[kleach]

Well, i got him out. I thought the mini colony he was in was on a flat plate which was glued to the rock so it would be simply to just lift off and get him out. Turns out I was crafty and the mini colony was on a plug which I puttied into a hole in the rock. Getting the plug out of the tank was the hardest thing! Broke a few branches off the coral but oh well.

As it turns out, there was dead tissue where he was hanging out and this was a coral that was doing amazingly well until he came in.

Either way I have the little guy drip acclimating for my back up tank. i know he was killing my coral but he is pretty cute, so I'll let it go lol

 

[Jcreefer1]

Yes the hairy dirty looking crabs with blue eyes are not the good type of acro crab......the good ones are smooth and clean looking.

 

[kleach]

Well, Ive got one of those in my other colony and he's doing just fine. I hope the fuzzy little guy finds a good home in my 29 gallon biocube even though there's no acros in there.

 

[FranktheTankTx]

Well, i got him out. I thought the mini colony he was in was on a flat plate which was glued to the rock so it would be simply to just lift off and get him out. Turns out I was crafty and the mini colony was on a plug which I puttied into a hole in the rock. Getting the plug out of the tank was the hardest thing! Broke a few branches off the coral but oh well.

As it turns out, there was dead tissue where he was hanging out and this was a coral that was doing amazingly well until he came in.

Either way I have the little guy drip acclimating for my back up tank. i know he was killing my coral but he is pretty cute, so I'll let it go lol

Usually, you can coax them out with some food. They'll hang on to it as you gently pull them out.

 

[kleach]

Hmm...wish i knew that before i took the colony out, but theres not too much damage and a few frags now lol

 

[bigbpro916]

Thats a creepy looking crab hahaha

 

[Cancros Amo]

Thank you for having a compassionate ethic towards this crab. Putting it in a new tank, and disregarding the too-typical "just kill it" advice are simply wonderful. I love crabs, and I'm sure he joins me in gratitude.

 

[sahin]

I have one of those hairy crabs with red eyes living in my overflow for nearly 1 year. I got him out of a rock crevice and placed him in the overflow. He eat whatever crap that ends up on the overflow bottom. :lol: I got him working for me for his bad deeds. :lol:

 

[Rwpdunne]

I have one of those hairy crabs with red eyes living in my overflow for nearly 1 year. I got him out of a rock crevice and placed him in the overflow. He eat whatever crap that ends up on the overflow bottom. :lol: I got him working for me for his bad deeds. :lol:

Great idea

 

[trueblackpercula]

That's a bad crab