Crab ID please.

[jerseypete]

Found this in my fuge the other day. Dosnt look like an emerald. I noticed he has the paddle back legs. This crab is a lot faster then my emerald and he can swim to the top of the fuge. Hes eating my pods like crazy.

 

[jerseypete]

sorry for the crappy pics

 

[jerseypete]

 

[criticalencore]

Pointy or black claws are not reef safe usually I believe. In the fuge it may not be an issue but I would not trust it around any fish, coral, or inverts I wanted to keep. I'm not 100% but I'm pretty sure my first sentence is correct

 

[jerseypete]

Yea i kinda got the feeling hes not reef safe. guess he hitchhiked on a coral or something. This thing looks mean. His shell is pointy on both ends. He can swim fast as hell through th water.

 

[Calappidae]

sorry for the crappy pics

Yep a swimming crab. Something in Portunidae.

They do get big but I don't know if they'll target corals.. Oppertunistic traits are present in all crabs reguarding fish and other live stock.

 

[sam.basye]

Looks just like a blue crab...the kind you make soup out of lol...minus the coloration.

I had some blue crabs in my tank with hermits and a few small fish. Seemed to mind its own business. They grow pretty fast. I probably wouldn't trust one with coral or little fish however. They are aggressive if provoked.. I'll post a pic later today of a large female blue crab I caught.

 

[jerseypete]

After some research im thinking the same thing. Hes in my fuge and isnt coming out. Unless to get rid of him

 

[sam.basye]

Here are those pictures....

The big female was 5.5-6" wide!

The bucket is 2 gal for size reference to the fully mature female.

You can see the one behind it in the bucket is straight brown.

I caught some that were anywhere from 2" to that monster female.

All caught in Charleston, SC.

 

[jerseypete]

Def looks like that one. I wonder what their growth rate is?

 

[sam.basye]

Not too sure, I had one molt when I had it in the bucket and it was at least 1.5x to 2x the size as before. Probably every 2-3 weeks would be my guess.

 

[jerseypete]

Well it looks like a blue point. It just molted andi can see some of yhe blue and orange in its claws

 

[sam.basye]

If you're feeling adventurous...you can sex it by looking at the bottom side of it. Lol If it looks like the pentagon its a male. Looks like the capital building its a female.

 

[jerseypete]

Ill wait hes quick. And it looks like thoes claws hurt. Im going to try to keep him fir a while but hes growing fast. Hes keeping my micro algea trim in the fuge

 

[sam.basye]

Sounds like a keeper - trimming the algae is always nice. Have you supplemented with anything meaty?

 

[jerseypete]

Yea i give him a nice size krill every morning. Hes wait when i get up at 4am

 

[Betta132]

Blue crab.
Anything with paddle feet is BAD. That means a carnivorous crab.
Glad to hear you're keeping it! They're neat things, and pretty. If it gets too large for your 'fuge, maybe give it to a LFS and ask them to find it a home? I bet someone with a big sump or fuge would take it.
If you need to handle it, use two fingers to grip the back of its body between the paddle legs. It shouldn't be able to reach you. That or you can hold onto both claws.

 

[jerseypete]

Yea i know it mean as hell. But i feel bad for the little guy. He must have came in as a baby on the macro algea i ordered for the fuge. Couldnt believe it when i first seen him. He was the size of a quarter now hes prob 2.5 in. Hes going to have to go soon. My fuge is only 20 gallons. As he gets bigger he will be a large addition to the bio load of the tank.But dont think my lfs will take him.

 

[Calappidae]

Your bioload is fine.

Not such thing as overstocking a tank.

 

[sam.basye]

Anyone know of blue swimmer crabs to mess with corals? Any sort or references of some caught in the act or actual proof??