Emerald Crabs

[langel]

What has been your experience with Emerald crabs in a reef tank. I just purchased one and I am starting to think maybe not a good idea for a reef tank....He went right over to my pipe coral and started to pick at it then lifted it up and went underneath. Anyone have a problem in their reef tank wiht one?

 

[dsn112]

they are typically "reef safe" but what does that really mean.

They will move things so if you have something that you don't want moved, glue it or make sure its tough to move.

They are cool though!

 

[lastduke]

the crab cut my zoas off in my tank, I threw them in the sump

 

[joeychitwood]

Like many critters, it seems to vary from one individual specimen to another. I've had one Emerald Crab which was a perfect tankmate and another which was a bulldozing terror. My most recent experience with crabs occurred when an Arrow Crab which had been living peacefully in my tank for three years attacked and killed a Skunk Cleaner Shrimp. (See this thread.)

 

[rgun2515]

What I have seen, is as they get larger, they are more prone to attack... If you by the smaller ones, and get them to eat dried algae, they will grow up wanting nothing but.

It's actualy a lot of fun to drop a sheet in frount of them and watch them drag it down and rip it apart...

 

[stingythingy45]

Mine is very large and now eats formula 2(green cubes).
This wonderful crab did an excellent job cleaning out all my bubble algae.
It has never bothered fish or inverts in any way.

 

[mg426]

I believe its a crab by crab basis for lack of a better answer. If they act up bannish them to the sump.

 

[kstallbe]

I got three of them in my 46g to eat up some hitchhiking algae and besides barely ever seeing them, they've done a great job at keeping the algae in check. Good kids.

 

[langel]

Thanks for all of your input, I will keep an eye on him and try and feed him some different things and see what happens. But I sure do not want him to eat my zoas!!