crab id - no pic

[lossman]

We have a crab in our tank that I am not sure what it is. Our tank is about 9 months old so it had to have come in on the original TBS rock or sand. It looks something like a gorilla crab but is not really hairy. Since it has the dark claws, I know it's not reef safe but will have to wait until it gets bolder before I can attempt to spear it or net it. The crab is beige in color, again with the dark colored claw tips. It has a trapezoid dark brown shape on it's back. I would love to get a picture but it's very shy and I only get glimpses of it here and there.

Thanks for any help

Sally

 

[supernareg]

is this wat ur talkin about?? if it is, DEFINATELY NOT REEF SAFE!!! u cant see it well but the claw tips are black. take out asap. mine fell back in overnight (it was floating in a bowl on top to keep it alive till i got my answers) next day cup was sunk and crab was lost. periodically i see my xenia heads disappear. take out ASAP!

 

[Physiofish]

Watch for your crab in the early morning after the lights have been off for awhile. Don't add anything to your tank until you get that crab, I have had many bad experiences with crabs! The most recent one I found met my barbecue fork and became fresh food for the reef!

 

[lossman]

The body of the crab is about the size of a nickel now. He has to have been in the tank for some time to have grown to that size. So far the only things that go missing are some snails and hermits. We can attribute that to the crab, the pistol shrimp or to the fish. The crab is afraid of the fish, it pulls back under the rocks whenever a fish gets within it's sight. With a 150g tank and 300lbs lr, it's going to be very difficult to get it out. I'm going to attempt to find it's lair and then feed it when I feed the other inverts to get it used to me, then when it gets a bit braver and comes out in the open, I will be able to either net it or spear it.

The crab is the color of light chocolate milk with that brown trapezoid shaped marking on it's back. It doesn't look much like the dozens of gorilla crabs we have already removed from the tank but with the dark claw tips, I know it's not reef safe.

 

[lossman]

Well, I got very, very lucky today. That crab went into a hole in one of the very few rocks near the top of the tank that I am actually able to take out of the tank!!! I saw him go in the hole and just reached down, grabbed the rock and put it in a big net. Took the rock over to the sink and started pouring RO water into the holes until he fell out. Unfortunately I was not able to get a picture of him as he slid down the trash compactor and I was not about to put my hand down there to pull him out to get a picture!! :lol:

Hopefully he is the last of the crabs in our tank.

 

[rbp 4 135]

glad you got him out. i was about to suggest that you make a trap for him

 

[lossman]

Thought about the trap, but with a harlequinn basslet, an indigo hamlet and a yellowhead wrasse in the tank, I figured I'd more likely catch one of the fish than the crab.