Crab Warfare -Learn from my Mistake

[InvertObsession]

Today I want to share my misfortune, partly because I am sad and partly because I want to add to the wealth of knowledge out here to help others avoid my disappointment. My 2 year old 125G is home to 3 anemones, a clown pair, some SPS, an urchin, some Ninja Star snails, 15 or so crabs, mainly hermits, and an Arrow crab. I had hoped the Arrow crab would eat some of the hundreds of worms that we unknowingly adopted with our tank, but I've never even seen him try. That's OK though, he's pretty massive now and cool to watch. Yesterday I bought a beeeeaaaautiful tiny porcelain anemone crab. He immediately found my biggest anemone and climbed right in. He looked wonderful. This morning my Arrow crab discovered him and immediately ripped him apart! I feel awful! Even if you have what appears to be a lazy herbivore Arrow crab who isn't interested in your hermits, he may still make a snack of any other crab he finds. I hope this helps someone avoid dooming their crabs in the future. :uhoh3:

 

[Ron Reefman]

It's a sad story, but your belief that your arrow crab was an herbivore was a foolish mistake. They are carnivores, and whether you saw it eat other animals or not doesn't change that. Besides that, a porcelain crab is much easier pray than a hermit crab. The carapace of a real crab is much easier to tear apart than trying to dig a hermit out of a very strong mollusk shell.

Sorry for your loss, but as I tell my wife all the time when things die in our tanks, "That's life on the reef!"

 

[johnike]

I have a huge arrow crab.
In the sump.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Arrow crabs are vicious. Sorry you had to learn the hard way.

 

[Michael Hoaster]

Good to know. Thanks for sharing!

 

[InvertObsession]

Arrow crabs are vicious. Sorry you had to learn the hard way.

Sure wish he was more worm-vicious. The porcelain crab is the first thing I've ever seen him eat besides algae.

 

[johnike]

Sure wish he was more worm-vicious. The porcelain crab is the first thing I've ever seen him eat besides algae.

Most worms we find are not a problem like bristles.

 

[InvertObsession]

Most worms we find are not a problem like bristles.

Yeah, there's just so many! Seems as the tank conditions get better over time there are more and more of them. Used to be I could rarely catch a glimpse of one at night.