Decorator Crabs & Spiny Oysters?

[mamagoose45]

Has anyone kept either of these two critters before? I was digging around a little online today while I was "working" - snicker snicker cough and doing some research on them. I think they are both kind of cool, but you don't really ever seem to hear much about them... Is that for any particular reason??

 

[danieljames]

Stay away from the spiny oysters moriah ime. I've had one in the past, and she slowly declined no matter how much i tried to feed her. These should be left in the ocean imo. Very cool animal though. The decorator's aren't a problem. Can be bulldozers though. Not all that picky about what they choose to "decorate" with either.

 

[mamagoose45]

That's what I figured with the oyster - I've only ever seen one for sale in a fish store...

Ever notice the things that you think are the coolest are always the ones you can't have because they'll die, the tank's not big enough, they'll eat everything else, etc....?

 

[Fanof49ASU]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9200558#post9200558 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by danieljames
Stay away from the spiny oysters moriah ime. I've had one in the past, and she slowly declined no matter how much i tried to feed her. These should be left in the ocean imo. Very cool animal though. The decorator's aren't a problem. Can be bulldozers though. Not all that picky about what they choose to "decorate" with either.

I saw on another board that a decorator crab used zoas like it was an endless supply.
For some reason.....the thought of that crab in zoas reminds me of the 60's.

 

[mamagoose45]

So now this might be a dumb question, and by all means laugh if that's the case...will the zoos, or any other coral it decorates with, still live on the back of the crab? Because if they do, that's really kind of cool. If they die, the crab would end up making a might tasty crab cake probably...

 

[danieljames]

yeah..whatever he can get to stay on will, assuming he stays out in the light enough. I've usually seen pieces of sponge, small rocks, etc. Photosynthetic stuff not so much.