emarald crab good or bad

[Moonstream]

I was thinking of getting an emerald but after hearing what other people have to say about them I am hesitant. What do you think? Should I get one?

 

[GS-Rock]

yes, emerald crabs are great because the are made for algae eating, you can tell by the way the claws are shapen, the tips are flattened for pulling at bubble algae and also other algae. I havent had any problems, but with all crabs you got to remember they are scavengers, so with that they will take what ever they can get...

 

[Moonstream]

I will see were I am algae wise in a week.

 

[BradsOcean]

If you have bubble algae, they are good for getting that out. I wouldnt get one though, mine always tryed to kill my cleaner shrimp. ( Jacques was too fast for him, thankfully) My emerald also ate my red mushrooms and picked at my zoos, making them close up half the time.

 

[jnb]

They help me lots with bubble algae - be sure to get females - everytime (i make sure now) that one was misbehaving - ie picking at acro, etc - it was a male - and I have heard this before

 

[yiliyang]

They are more trouble than they are worth. I had emerald and ruby crabs, never ate the bubble algae I had. They ate lots of snails and scrapped a lot of coralline algae off the rocks. If you have anemone, they will take food out of the stomach of the anemone.

They look cute and harmless when small. After couple of molts their claws get HUGE. Mine grew very fast too. I had to give them to a friend.

btw, they are very difficult to remove once they adjust to your tank.

 

[Moonstream]

how do you tell male from female? Wont be getting one, but can always help to know more

 

[jnb]

turn them over - the underneath has a plate for lack of a better word - in female it is round in males it shapes into a point - search crab female male and I am sure you will get pics easily of this. Large claws more trouble than they are worth - sounds like a male - I'm telling you - mine have always worked bubble algae - I have them for no other reason

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=10242605#post10242605 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Moonstream
how do you tell male from female? Wont be getting one, but can always help to know more

 

[nanoreef25]

dont get em they were disaterous they ate peices of my feather duster and picked at my zoo's and a royal pain to remove from my tank got them out though thank god

 

[siren]

I personally LOVE these little dudes. I can put a rock covered in hair algea in my tank, and by morning it's all gone. I'm begining to think that the idea about bubble algea is a myth though, I've NEVER seen them even look at the stuff. But with these guys you do have a risk. Like mentioned before, there have been reports of missing zoas, dusters, and shrimp. In my tank they get big fast. And remember, they are a crab, and are oppertunistic feeders. I have one in my fuge with a 2" carapiece who can and has tryed to take down my fish. I got him out before that happened though. When they are small though, they are awesome. When it's time to remove them though, they're an easy catch

good luck

 

[ashrem]

Never seen mine or the previous 3 that I had ever touch bubble algea. They get ornery when they get older and seem to pick on my corals if I get lax on feeding the tank. I just bought a sally light foot and she(?) went right away attacking algea. May stop keeping emeralds now.

 

[jnb]

they don't really eat the bubble algae you see - they eat the beginnings of new bubble algae you don't see - this is why the have a reputation for bubble algae if you search around but do not appear to eat it I get emeralds and a month later it dawns on me that the bubble algae is subsiding dramatically - my experience

 

[Moonstream]

are sally light foots good?