Coral eating crab

[rjjr1963]

Is there a type of crab that will eat SPS coral. I found one on one of my corals I could swear I seen him munching away on polyps. I didn't get a picture but it was a sort of flat crab like a emerald crab but the legs looked thicker and it had smaller claws. Looked hairy like a spider. I tried to catch it but it got away. Lights were near the end of the cycle. Still very bright.

 

[Chrisq0904]

I believe gorilla crabs do, but I believe they look more like emerald crabs.

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[w3bbo]

Teddy bear crabs also. I had a couple that were especially fond of millepora.

 

[2una]

I got one about the same size/type as this one & yep i've caught him eating polyps....hes been served eviction notice.....I think this one is "supposed to be a "good" one re the flat spoon type pinchers but there ain't no algae up the top end of my stag where i caught him chowing one night.

This ain't my pic i came across it trying to ID it - I THINK its a black Emerald

 

[rjjr1963]

I'm pretty sure it's an acropora crab. Little bastard was munching on coral this morning.

 

[75mixedreef]

Acro crabs are good and help acros. That in the picture is not an acro crab. The rule of thumb is that if it is hairy then it is bad and will eat your corals. It may not be true all the time and some crabs that are not hairy can be bad too, but as soon as I see a fuzzy crab I go into crab hunting mode.

 

[rjjr1963]

Acro crabs are good and help acros. That in the picture is not an acro crab. The rule of thumb is that if it is hairy then it is bad and will eat your corals. It may not be true all the time and some crabs that are not hairy can be bad too, but as soon as I see a fuzzy crab I go into crab hunting mode.

That is not a picture of the crab in my tank. The one in my tank is very hairy with blue eyes. I caught him again this morning munching on coral.

 

[organism]

That is not a picture of the crab in my tank. The one in my tank is very hairy with blue eyes. I caught him again this morning munching on coral.

The hairy ones with blue eyes are the most common Acro eaters imo. I lost 4 colonies that were adjacent to each other one time, as the last colony was dying I took it apart and found a 1/4" one of those crabs... Expensive little bastard.

Acro-safe crabs are totally smooth with no hairs, usually with that bandit stripe across the eyes.

 

[2una]

That is not a picture of the crab in my tank. The one in my tank is very hairy with blue eyes. I caught him again this morning munching on coral.

This look more like it?