Found a few bad crabs...couldn't catch them though

[Ding2daDong]

Last night I was looking around the tank with a flashlight and saw 3 different crabs, all were about 2"+. Two were tan/light yellow with spines on it and the other looked like a stone crab.

Just wondering if anyone has had the same problem and have an effective method of getting these "bad" crabs out of my tank?

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

-Matthew

 

[nyvp]

only way is the trap method or see where they hid and skewer them

 

[REDDAWG43]

I know someone that made a mini-spear with a long bamboo branch and a three prong fish hook. Attach the hook to one ned of the bamboo stick and bend the hook tips straight out...
Leave the mini-spear in the tank for a night or two. Once they use to it. Use your flash light to seee them and then skewer them.

 

[pedromatic]

How do you know they're "bad"? Stone crabs can be very tasty

Seriously, though... I found one the other night about 3/4 in across that looks like a stone crab. It was picking at coralline, but not any of my frags.

 

[jeffbrig]

Matt, have you ever seen my giant-shot-glass-crab-trap? I used it to catch several crabs that were in my 250. Several mithrax, but I also had one that looked suspiciously like a stone crab.

 

[ReefWreak]

I've still got an acro-picking decorator crab in my tank. I havn't skewered or squashed him yet because he doesn't do enough damage to the corals to warrant removal, and it's kind of cool that he's got kenya trees and SPS polyps growing on his back.

 

[Ding2daDong]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11128455#post11128455 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jeffbrig
Matt, have you ever seen my giant-shot-glass-crab-trap? I used it to catch several crabs that were in my 250. Several mithrax, but I also had one that looked suspiciously like a stone crab.

No I havn't but if you could send me a link or a picture of how to set it up that would be very helpful.

Thanks for the help everyone. I saw one of the spinney looking ones this morning again and tried my best to just poke it to death with an algae scrapper but it just laughed in my face...



No it ran into the rocks before I could behead it.

-Matthew

 

[ahoyhoy239]

i skewered a little crab that i suspect ate an orange ricordea over the course of a few days. i spotted him here and there then finally found a spot where he hid and stabbed him with the tip of the syringe that came with the stop aiptasia stuff.

 

[Ding2daDong]

My problem is that I have a 45lb+ rock that has alot of hiding spots and that is where I saw the crabs at.

I want to try some type of trap but I also have alot of hermits, snails, and peppermint shrimp that may set off the trap early.

-Matthew

 

[pedromatic]

Matt,
I believe the "trap" jeff is referring to is a glass. You put some food in the glass, the crabs crawl in and fall to the bottom. They can't crawl out again.

 

[jeffbrig]

Exactly.

Matt, I'll see if I can dig up a picture tonight.

 

[pedromatic]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11129481#post11129481 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jeffbrig
Exactly.

Matt, I'll see if I can dig up a picture tonight.

A picture of a glass? heh heh...

 

[jeffbrig]

No, Mr. Smarty-pants. A picture of the baited crab trap, and some of the catches.

From a post in another thread:

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6043992#post6043992 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by jeffbrig
I've had good luck using a tall glass and a piece of shrimp. Lean it against a rock and the crab will go in to try to get the food, and then they can't crawl out. I've caught several crabs using this method.

The trap:

the 'catch':

 

[Ding2daDong]

Thanks Jeff!

The last picture with the crab looks identical to the 2 I saw in my tank. I guess I am going to walmart to get an extra long triple shot glass.

Jeff where did you get that glass from? Spensors gifts?

Thanks

-Matthew

 

[Bernie21]

I had a similar prob about a month ago w 2 mithrax. I put some mysid shrimp on a feeder stick at night and when they came out to eat, I netted them, but Jeffbrig solution seems like less work!

 

[roblack]

I tried traps with mine, but kept catching snails. I also tried skewering them, you would be surprised how hard a stone crab's shell is. Finally resorted to pulling the rocks out (half of them to get to the bottom ones where the crabs resided). Took a while and very messy, but I got finally em. Good luck with the glass trap!

 

[gasman059]

Usaully they do reside in big acro colonies and to the extent you can take the whole colony out and do the job outside of the water
is def better.

A pair of needlenose pliers(fine ones) has always done the trick fofor me but the shot glass trick sounds like a good idea.

 

[gasman059]

Usaully they do reside in big acro colonies and to the extent you can take the whole colony out and do the job outside of the water
is def better.

A pair of needlenose pliers(fine ones) has always done the trick fofor me but the shot glass trick sounds like a good idea.

 

[macawmagic]

what kind of college kid doesn't have a triple shotglass lying around! What a poor excuse for a college kid! JK I don't have a triple...only doubles. If you want to try a double let me know. I've got one covered in coraline.

 

[jeffbrig]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11132503#post11132503 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Ding2daDong


Jeff where did you get that glass from? Spensors gifts?

No idea where I got "the big shot", I've had it for quite a while.

But...in the crafts section at Walmart, they sell a glass bud vase that's identical for $1. We bought a couple of these when we declared war on crabs, and set traps all over the tank. We probably trapped close to 10 crabs in total.