elegance coral& gall crab

[baldbloke]

hi all i have an elegance coral which appears fine but when it retracts at night a small portion of the tissue has been lifted away from the skeleton and inside is a small stony looking crab, he seems to use his shell as a trap door, i re searched this and it appears to be a gall crab, are these real bad? should i remove him?, alot of the info i read did not go into much detail, (i only found a few brief write ups) is this crab eating my elegance? the coral expands well but the disc the crab is living uder, the tentacles dont extend as long as the rest? thanks.

 

[Grand Wizard]

Hi boldie, 60 views and not one reply NICE , AS long as the coral is looking healthy and eating ok, i dont think you have to much to worry about

 

[bad habit]

crab in elegance

crab in elegance

depends on wheather you like the crab or elegance the most.I have a elegance in my tank it is my favorite coral if anything iritates it enough to keep the tenticles retracted anywhere I try to fix it. here is a pic

 

[poopsko24]

I'd try to get it out........smash it or something. Can you post a pic ?

 

[Beastmaster]

If the coral is otherwise healthy I'd leave it. These occur naturally and IMO adds more interest. Depends whether you want polished looking shiny corals or a natural looking ecosystem - I tend towards the latter. Mind you, if the coral is suffering, kill the b@**%*£!