Crab ID help

Bathel

New member
I was feeding my tank today and for the first time I notice a small crab in the rock work that I have never seen before. My tank is 5 years old and I have not added anything to it in the last year and a half, so you can imagine my surprise to see an unknown critter.

I couldn't snap a shop of it, but it is a dark blackish color crab with hairy legs. It's body is about the size of a dime and with legs about the size of a quarter. The claws are large for the crab size and are not harry like the legs. The joints seem to have a flash of white color to them. His claw seems to have a tinge of red at the tip.

Any ideas what it could be?
 
hairy legs= bad crab, IMO
Recently had to remove a hairy legged crab who had killed two clams and was caught in the act of eating a star fish.
 
Half the pieces of live rock I have in my tank have a crab like you describe in them. They have been there for a year with no problems.

Also "hairy legs" <> bad...
 
if you can catch the crab (try setting a trap), snap a pic and post it here; after a positive ID, you can decide what you want to do. could be a relatively harmless crab or could be a gorilla crab, can't really tell from your description thus far.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14182476#post14182476 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sdfish
hairy legs bad? my emerald crads have hairy legs. does this mean they are bad?
Exactly!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14181737#post14181737 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by divewsharks
after a positive ID, you can decide what you want to do
The correct answer.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14182476#post14182476 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sdfish
hairy legs bad? my emerald crads have hairy legs. does this mean they are bad?

Some emeralds end up being bad tankmates (as they get larger), the others are model citizens. Its all on the individual speciman. If you've had no problems, then don't worry about it, just keep an eye out over time and monitor the situation. its like just about everything else in this hobby, YMMV.
 
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Ok, there are some hairy legged crabs that aren't bad. Emeralds are the only ones I can think of though. But I would say blackish/brownish hairy legged crabs are bad. The crab in the picture looks like the one that was causing damage in my tank.
 
I have a red crab with black tips on its claws that has been in my tank for 3 years, no problem what so ever. Fun to watch him scramble at feeding time!
 
Yeah, I have a strawberry crab that has black tipped claws and doesn't bother anything (except I think he killed my BTA).
 
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