crab living in a clam?

[KhawMengLee]

I've just noticed this crab in my tank and I think it must have been living inside one of the clams I brought home to feed my Mantis Shrimp.

I had just placed about 12 or so live clams(small ones about an inch to an inch and a half long) into the tank and had broken open two of them for the other denizens of my tank(crabs etc) and left them in the tank away from the mantis shrimp(he just moulted a few days ago and isn't eating yet).

A few hours later when I came back to observe the tank I noticed what I thought was a chunk of clam guts to be a crab.

Its white(almost translucent), has yellow/orange innards(including the eggs underneath it's belly) and is about the size of a fingernail (1.5cm across).

I was wondering whether this crab could have been in the clams.

cheers,
Meng

 

[KhawMengLee]

Found him! A pea crab!

Next question...well, now its out of the clam...can it survive?

 

[LeslieH]

Probably not. It will try to get into another clam as soon as possible. Some of the pea crabs have hard carapaces and will survive outside their hosts (clams, echinoderms, inside worm tubes, etc) while other have soft weak carapaces & soon die if removed. This looks as if it belongs to the second group.

 

[KhawMengLee]

Dang...well, it's too big to get into the other clams...unless I get a big one...hehe... a great excuse to visit the old fish shop tomorrow.

 

[Sullyman]

I've pulled crab and shrimp from large clams that died, both were translucent with spots, I put them both in my fuge and I'm sure they never made it.
Leslie, I caught the last worm, I hope, posted a couple pics in the cmas forum.

 

[LeslieH]

Okay, heading over there now.