farfromsea
Active member
I usually see it eating detritus on rocks but today saw it on my new Millipora and on my duncan...
Good? Bad?
Good? Bad?
Good or bad crab? [id]
- Thread starter farfromsea
- Start date
Besides hairy legs I’m not seeing anything that would indicate a bad crab. The claws aren’t black or dark colored. Perhaps just cleaning the coral? Are you noticing coral damage? Sorry I don’t have a more specific ID
farfromsea
Active member
My Duncan has been retracted but I recently stuck it down with SeaTak in the tank and moved my wavemaker so I figured it was my fault. But the crab worried me. I haven't seen any significant damage just worried I'll wake up to naked sticks lol!
But thank you I appreciate your insight it is reassuring to hear the lack of dark claws is good
But thank you I appreciate your insight it is reassuring to hear the lack of dark claws is good
farfromsea
Active member
KP aquatics live! I welcomed any hitchhikers and had just my lunch break to get the rocks into my tank so I didn't QT the rocks.
I looked on their website but none of the crabs they sell resemble it exactly...
The crab is almost the same color as the coralline encrusted live rock and until this point seemed happy to much rocky stuff.
farfromsea
Active member
Oh that is good. I haven't removed any from the tank because I had hoped it was a good crab
Thanks for the help everyone!
If it’s KP it may be Mithraculus forceps. There are various color variations.
farfromsea
Active member
It looks like it is indeed! I looked at the crab database website that I found after searching that scientific name, thank you!
Very similar striped hairy legs. I have about 4-5 of them in here and it seems they have a commensal relationship with coral which is cool.
Thank you!
I have one as well, or believe it to be one but it’s not nearly as hairy it’s pretty smooth
farfromsea
Active member
Yes I wanted to see my exact one on the website but there wasn't a picture of one with the same coloration! Amazing to think so much of sea life is not documented in a readily available encyclopedia.
A lot of the stuff we have may not be described. I have green Sinularia orginaly acquired in 1997 that I had identfied by a taxonomist in 2011 after seeing mistaken posts of certain species being extienct in the wild due to El Ninos. Turns out is was a Sinularia foliata, a species that wasn't described until 2008.
Here's a bad one. I kept him in a small tank for quite a while. He was fun.
farfromsea
Active member
Lol he looks like bowser with his angry eyes. My crabs are very small but they don't have those black pinchers. Maybe they multiplied or are excited about the coral but now I see them on every frag every night!
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