Decorator Crab

[rupnow]

Found a very cool decorator crab. About the size of a dime. Its got so much stuff on it you simply cant find it unless it moves.

I have a book that says decorator crabs are bad for reefs and will eat/damage corals. Anyone know if this is true? The picture in the book looks different than this one.

 

[figuerres]

Re: Decorator Crab

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7172691#post7172691 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rupnow
Found a very cool decorator crab. About the size of a dime. Its got so much stuff on it you simply cant find it unless it moves.

I have a book that says decorator crabs are bad for reefs and will eat/damage corals. Anyone know if this is true? The picture in the book looks different than this one.

almost any crab can damage coral and other stuff.
there are a few that are "reef safe" like sally lightfoot, mithrax and a few others.

some are just out-and-out evil due to size and what they want to eat.

I am not real sure about a deco.

but just like a mantis if the food supply is good and the guy is small then he may be ok at least for now...

 

[skippy2]

I bought 1 on impulse. Big mistake. He is huge and loves to wear my zoo polyps. I would love to get him out but so far no luck.

 

[Dollarbill]

I had one that really like to cut out my sponge and wear it until it was all gone. Tat was in a fish only tank.

 

[Jocko]

The only crabs I trust 100% are the porcelains. But my little hitch hiker decorator doesn't seem to cause trouble. He's funny. The army of hermits I got in my cleanup crew are more trouble than he is.

 

[villious]

There are a couple of types of deco crabs. The one Richard sent me was a frilly deco crab, he looks like an arrow crab with the very long legs. There is another deco crab that is short and fat like "normal" crabs that will do damage to corals.

We love our frilly deco crab, as he is so funny to watch. he like to take macro algae and stick it all over him. He's been the highlight of my reef tank. I'm about to start a small mantis only tank. We'll see how that goes.....

 

[liverock]

Re: Decorator Crab

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7172691#post7172691 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rupnow
Found a very cool decorator crab. About the size of a dime. Its got so much stuff on it you simply cant find it unless it moves.

I have a book that says decorator crabs are bad for reefs and will eat/damage corals. Anyone know if this is true? The picture in the book looks different than this one.

This is the ocean guys....everything eats everything else.....the trade off is, is it too cool, and do I really care if it does a little propagation on its own...which is a good thing...

The "reef safe" concept is really over blown......as nothing is reef safe in the big picture.....but they all get along out there in the big blue ocean...

I always leave critters in the tank, unless I observe them doing something I do not like...

Richard TBS

 

[scowiii]

Well put Richard.

 

[jlunde]

I agree...so far. I have a spider decorator crab and it is one of my favorite creatures in the tank. Only comes out at night. He has chopped off a few green star polyps and wears them. A few have fallen off and started growing in a different spot in the tank. Definitely glad I bought him. Does anyone know what else these things like to "wear"?

 

[scowiii]

Pretty much anything it can rip up and stick to their bodies.

 

[liverock]

camo

camo

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10044869#post10044869 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by scowiii
Pretty much anything it can rip up and stick to their bodies.

Yup...when I see them on the rock, I only see them when they move....they are masters of camo....whatever they are on...they will wear..

too cool!

Richard TBS

 

[Untamed12]

I got at least one in my shipment. I know because I saw him once...

 

[voodude]

The one I got loves to climb all the way to the top of the "rock mountain" and then jumps up and down so his arms (legs?) flap like he's going to take off. If there was a cartoon bubble he would be screaming "I'M KING OF THE MOUNTAIN!" Then he "repels" down to the sand ... no rope either ... he's a hoot ...he also runs around all the time (camo'd of course) and even the Picasso I have leaves him alone.