Bubble tip has deflated tips, i think i know why

[Stipe]

When i bought my beautiful green/pink BTA he had nice bulbs and was eating great etc. After the hard process of him settling in (he was on a walkabout for around a month) he started to slowly lose his bulbs. I was supprised, ive doen everything right. One night i flashed a torch in there to see my how my pod population was going and then i saw it a huge, mabey around 3inch white crab in him. The crab was a dirty white with redish brown tiped claws and hairy legs. I thought the crab was just moving along, but when i watched it over the past couple of nights it never moved from the anemone. Since half the anemone is under a rock mabey thats where he stays during the day. Anyway he tramples all over the anemone and nips at the anemones tentlicles and my efferts to dump him in my fuge is usless.

Could the crab be my problem?

Also a have a pair of skunk clown, will they host the BTA, because they love my frogspawn right now.

 

[Stipe]

Here is a picture of the anemone, the color is abit off because of flash, he is alot nicer in real life.

 

[Stipe]

Oh yeh thats abotu two weeks abo while he had some bulbs left, now he has non .

 

[OrangeKoi]

Sounds like a guerilla crab. Check out the pictures. See if that is a match for a start? Sounds like a frustrating situation.

 

[nickterp]

It is a problem if the crab is harassing the anemone, stealing food or damaging tentacles.

The reason for it wandering around so much, I'm not sure. A month is a long time for it to try to find a home. What kind of lighting do you have?

The loss of bubble tips is not necesarily a problem. If its still got good color and is eating it should be fine.

Check out FAQs on www.wetwebmedia.com on BTA's. Good luck!

 

[slcw]

may b it is a decorator crab

 

[TheVillageIdiot]

Could the crab be my problem?

I'd do some image searches for gorilla crabs and porcelain crabs. It's probably not the later, if you got a porcelain as a hitch hiker, you've done very well for your self.

A crab trap would probably work best here. Take one of those tall shot glasses and put some food in it. place it in the tank near the anemone, hopefully, the crab will try to get the food and end up stuck in the shot glass.