Crab ID please (with pic)

[cowboyswife]

Forgive the picture quality. I was shocked that I was even able to get a picture of him...he is in a hole. He is in my husbands TBS tank, and was a hitch hiker in his LR. His beatie little yellow eyes are creepy. lol Any ideas?

 

[wasupdavey]

Looks like a small rock crab definately not reef safe.

 

[jmait769]

If it looks like this one it is a gorilla crab. Best to move him out. Mine is living in the refugium after I removed him from my TBS rock. Very mean and loves to eat!! Nice color of purple when feed well though!!

Jay

 

[cowboyswife]

Jay, that looks just like the one in his tank! But I thought gorilla crabs were hairy. I have a bait cup in the tank now, so we'll see if we can catch the little bugger! Thanks for your help!!

 

[Frick-n-Frags]

they should rename the "buccaneers" to the "gorilla crabs"

 

[Avi]

If you can get it out of your tank, do it. They become carniverous and will eat zoanthids as they mature.

 

[Lion_Babe]

They are NOT good to have int he tank. Try to catch himif you can. If you have to pull that piece of LR out.
Good luck.

 

[frederickk]

If you do catch him you can put him in your sump.

 

[Paintbug]

that looks like a Mithrax Crab of some kind, but its really impossible to tell for sure from that pic. at least for me if you can catch him, and put him in a bowl to take some shots from above. that would help greatly. then put him in the sump, or find someone locally to take him from you if you dont want it back in the tank. but until theres a positive ID cant say weather it should be removed or not.

 

[jepuskar]

Did you call your LFS and let them know about this so they can charge you more?

 

[frederickk]

Yeah they were looking for him!!!!!!

 

[jmait769]

Actually I said gorilla but should have said Stone Crab. Florida Stone Crab to be exact, Menippe mercenaria. Good picture of one here: http://www.dnr.sc.gov/cwcs/pdf/StoneCrab.pdf and

Jay

 

[cowboyswife]

LOL You guys are awesome, thanks for the help. We will only pull the rock out as a last resort because there is an anemone with his foot planted in a hole in the same rock. I was <---this---> close to catching him last night. I just stuck a drinking glass in the tank with a raw scallop in it. He went right for it, but the rim of the glass was too slippery for him to get into it. Im going to rig a new trap and try again tonight.

BUT we did catch either a Cirolanid or Aegid isopod. And I thought the crab's beatie eyes were creepy... lol

 

[Paintbug]

could you post a pic of the isopod? or did you flush it?

 

[rppvt]

I had to use the fondu-fork Hawaiian sling on one in my tank--- became part of the circle of life for the rest of the tank critters. Never feel good about that...

 

[cowboyswife]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9552249#post9552249 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Paintbug
could you post a pic of the isopod? or did you flush it?

We flushed it. My camera doesnt do very good macro shots. I tried, but was incredibly unsuccessful.

 

[WaterKeeper]

Oh no Beck; now there will be an isopod outbreak all along the gulf coast.

 

[cowboyswife]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9553563#post9553563 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by WaterKeeper
Oh no Beck; now there will be an isopod outbreak all along the gulf coast.

LOL Youre not kidding either! So long as they dont migrate from hubby's tank into mine, Ill manage