Decorator Crab ?

[user1974]

My Son picked this up and loves it. Is it in fact a decorator crab and is it reef safe.

 

[user1974]

here is the pic

here is the pic

 

[skippy2]

I couldn't wait to give mine away. He was pretty cool but wouldn't leave my corals alone. I never would have gotten him if I knew that's what they did.

 

[finsurgeon]

That one is a "sponge decorator crab" if I recall. I had the one skippy had, and it was a lot of fun until my coral tastes increa$ed enough to need him to leave them alone. He looked great with a mix of bright blue sponge and bright pink carnation coral, but eventually he had to move on. I don't think the one you have has near the penchant to try on and wear so many of the corals in the tank , and even at that, mine never picked on any LPS of SPS, or even any big 'shrooms. Mostly liked zoos (50 - 100 at a time and they never opened on him) and softies. Reef safe, except for that. Never picked on a fish even once. And I would watch him in the dark, even near small sleeping gobies, etc.

 

[finsurgeon]

p.s. - ours was a "spider decorator"

 

[Guygettnby]

yes that is a decorator crab and i dont think i would really call them reef safe beacuse of the above mentioned reasons. i have had abunch of them and they never bother inything in the tank besides your corals. they are very cool and look crazy when they are covered in zoanthids or other corals but they tend to get anoying after awhile. not to mention expensive when they pick off $10+ a head zoas/palys...