Emerald crab

[JackCastle]

Just want to say that i appreciate this site and the ability to ask questions and get quick responses when i have concerns about my tank

I made a spontaneous purchase at my lfs and bought an emerald mithrax crab, his body is about an inch in diameter. I have a fowlr with a reef tank future. Is this crab going to cause problems? I will have:

7 chromis
1 percula clown
1 neon cleaner goby

1 blood red shrimp
1 skunk shrimp
7 scarlet hermit crabs
? snails, not sure how many and what kind

an assortment of corals

He's cool looking and has a lot of personality, but if he's going to mess with anything on me list, he's getting evicted.

 

[crossi92]

I had one before I moved, never had a problem with him bothering anything in my tank. I am definitely getting another one.

 

[SJGreene]

All crabs are opportunistic. Make sure he is well feed and he should leave your fishes and corals alone.

I've had one in my reef tank for over a year and have never had any troubles from him. I actually don't see him much anymore, as he's now mostly nocturnal.

 

[ShannHell]

I have also kept them without problems in a reef tank

 

[JackCastle]

great, thanks guys

 

[Frick-n-Frags]

heh, you will catch both sides of this argument. MOST mithrax mind their own business and scrape the rocks/corals edges.
Some are tards and cause trouble.

I would also guess that some cases are also closely related crabs, but not the mellow Mithrax species

 

[cazzy]

I used to have one that decided to shred up some of my zoos. He very quickly found his new home to be my fuge until he made his way back to the lfs...

 

[coralreefer2110]

Emerald Crab

Emerald Crab

I have several (and unfortunately plenty of algae) and they leave everything alone. Just make sure they have plenty to snack on when your reef is clean..

 

[stingythingy45]

I have 1 rather large one.
It basically sleeps under a large rhodactis mushroom most of the day and comes out to feed during actinic light.It slowly works it's way around picking stuff off the rock.Never seen it ever bother any corals.I have a tank full of all kinds of softies/LPS.
I recently picked up some cubes to feed it.I lost 2 mythrax before this one and I think it might be the need for a variety of algae to eat.Anybody else suppliment any food for theirs?

 

[tydtran]

I think emerald crabs are a useless addition to the aquarium. I have two in mine. I hardly ever see them. They don't eat any of the nuisance algae in my tank. They don't harm anything but they don't help anything either.

 

[masonicman]

I had one that came in on a live rock and got very large in my tank quickly. It started to eat my yellow polyps and pick a my leathers at night. I eventually captured it and took it to my LFS they could not tell if it was a true emerald or a red crab.

 

[Neezy]

I have an emerald thats the size of a golf ball, all he ever did was clean up scraps and walk around. He was def the center of attention and didnt bother anything... until last week when my banggai swam into him sometime with the lights off and he f****** ate him

 

[JackCastle]

O.O , lmao neezy, that's too bad.. And i'm gonna add banggai's.

But, I guess i'll leave him in there for now and go get some algae cubes so he stays full, lol.