Good or Bad Crab?
- Thread starter FW2SW2004
- Start date
Well - the bad crabs that I've grabbed all had a hairy exoskeleton and black tips on the claws. I had some non-hairy ones with incredibly long antennae (relative to size) that I released into my tank.
Anyway - bottom line is while the "bad" crabs have a negative reputation you need to be the final judge and figure out if you think it could be a danger or potential danger. Even "good" crabs (sally lightfoot) sometimes develop a bad reputation if they get too big. I'm sure there are some "bad" crabs that do nothing wrong.
Anyway - bottom line is while the "bad" crabs have a negative reputation you need to be the final judge and figure out if you think it could be a danger or potential danger. Even "good" crabs (sally lightfoot) sometimes develop a bad reputation if they get too big. I'm sure there are some "bad" crabs that do nothing wrong.
beanpole209
Dry land
it looks a lot like a mithrax except for the hair wich sometimes mithrax crabs have and they can be red or brown also are the claws round or pointed ???
Crab ID
Crab ID
Good..I have a red one that is identical..hairy legs and all..(Mithrax)...good guy in my 12g and he has a few consistant favorite nooks where he can be seen contently picking at the rock or munching on a piece of cut up shrimp that was fed to the tank at an earlier time...
Crab ID
Good..I have a red one that is identical..hairy legs and all..(Mithrax)...good guy in my 12g and he has a few consistant favorite nooks where he can be seen contently picking at the rock or munching on a piece of cut up shrimp that was fed to the tank at an earlier time...
Trying to get a pic of a crab I found - but I'm hoping my verbal description can start us off while I try and get a pic. The crab is reddish with slender legs and claws. The claw itself almost looks too tiny to be claw. This could either be the result of loss of claw and regrowing or the actual claw size as normal. In proportion to the rest of the legs - the claw itself is the same size currently. It looks like a spider crab because of the tooth-pick like legs and the similar sized claw. I can only see half the crab because it is hidden inside the LR. One can distinctly see it bring it's claws to it's mouth as if picking on something on the LR. This makes me also presume that it is not a filter-feeder crab like a porcelain. There is no visibile hair on the crab and it has a slightly rusty to red color to it - though this is only slight (not like a big red m&m or anything like that).
The rock has been in the tank for 2 months now with a few fish. No damage can be noted or apparent either on fish or coral that hitchhiked on the rock.
Currently he's good until proven guilty. However - I'd like to try and id him if at all possible. So I hope to post a pic today (once my battery charges up on this cheap camera).
Just in terms of experience: I captured 4 porcelain crabs and released them all back into the tank. I captured about 6~8 gorillas (distinct hair, black tiped claws). I also caught what I now believe to be 3~4 mithrax crabs that I incorrectly labeled gorilla (i think). So I'm very curious if perhaps I have myself a decorator or sponge crab or other possible critter?
Well sorry for the word-intensive post - pic soon - promise!
The rock has been in the tank for 2 months now with a few fish. No damage can be noted or apparent either on fish or coral that hitchhiked on the rock.
Currently he's good until proven guilty. However - I'd like to try and id him if at all possible. So I hope to post a pic today (once my battery charges up on this cheap camera).
Just in terms of experience: I captured 4 porcelain crabs and released them all back into the tank. I captured about 6~8 gorillas (distinct hair, black tiped claws). I also caught what I now believe to be 3~4 mithrax crabs that I incorrectly labeled gorilla (i think). So I'm very curious if perhaps I have myself a decorator or sponge crab or other possible critter?
Well sorry for the word-intensive post - pic soon - promise!
Lost Peppermint Shrimp
Lost Peppermint Shrimp
Well, here is an update on my TBS Package.
Second half went in 7 days ago.
TBS sent me 3 Peppermint Shrimp and to date I have seen evidence that two have been murdered. I have no ID on any definite suspects yet, but I suspect there may be another Mantis Shrimp who came in with the second half of my package...only a few clicks heard so far ...or...I have also seen what looks like another "Gorilla?" crab like the first one I started this post with.
Could this Crab be eating my Shrimp?
Their bodies are usually seen on one side of the tank bottom split in half...then by the next morning they are gone, but I suspect the clean up crew is just doing its job.
I also have a purplish slime algae in spots on the sand bed...is this cyano? should I remove it...or let the hermits, snails, brittle star, shrimp try to munch it up?
Lost Peppermint Shrimp
Well, here is an update on my TBS Package.
Second half went in 7 days ago.
TBS sent me 3 Peppermint Shrimp and to date I have seen evidence that two have been murdered. I have no ID on any definite suspects yet, but I suspect there may be another Mantis Shrimp who came in with the second half of my package...only a few clicks heard so far ...or...I have also seen what looks like another "Gorilla?" crab like the first one I started this post with.
Could this Crab be eating my Shrimp?
Their bodies are usually seen on one side of the tank bottom split in half...then by the next morning they are gone, but I suspect the clean up crew is just doing its job.
I also have a purplish slime algae in spots on the sand bed...is this cyano? should I remove it...or let the hermits, snails, brittle star, shrimp try to munch it up?
Iphis
New member
Hey Phil,
This is a horrible picture I know, but....
Red Crab
Does he look like this? I keep getting told they are "Red Emerald Crabs" I have several of them. They look like they just sit there pulling stuff off of the live rock all day long, as for what it is they are doing, I can't tell. One did pull apart a recently dead barnacle, though.
Oh, and most crabs are omnivores, including your porcelain crabs. They will eat anything they come across that they can, really. You just have to make sure they are well fed.
Porcelain crabs have the advantage of those filter feeder arms, but they can eat just like they bigger brethren. Put a piece of fish in front of one and see what he does
If you are concerned about a crab attacking things, keep him well fed or quarantine him so you can watch what he does
This is a horrible picture I know, but....
Red Crab
Does he look like this? I keep getting told they are "Red Emerald Crabs" I have several of them. They look like they just sit there pulling stuff off of the live rock all day long, as for what it is they are doing, I can't tell. One did pull apart a recently dead barnacle, though.
Oh, and most crabs are omnivores, including your porcelain crabs. They will eat anything they come across that they can, really. You just have to make sure they are well fed.
Porcelain crabs have the advantage of those filter feeder arms, but they can eat just like they bigger brethren. Put a piece of fish in front of one and see what he does
If you are concerned about a crab attacking things, keep him well fed or quarantine him so you can watch what he does
Iphis
New member
Hmm, mine do not have striped legs like that, and they have a little white marking around the tips of their claws. Same basic shape, and the shell has ridges on it that kind of look like exhaust manifolds on a car...
He's very cool looking, whatever he is I would keep him unless he proves to be a bad little crab 
Do you know where he lives in your rock?
How big is he, exactly?
He's very cool looking, whatever he is
I would keep him unless he proves to be a bad little crab Do you know where he lives in your rock?How big is he, exactly?
He is about half the size of a dime and was living in a section of my LR that HAD a sponge. The sponge died - i removed it about 2 weeks ago. So that section of rock has numerous crevices. I spoted it because it had those long legs.
My first inclination was to just keep him in the main tank until proven guilty - but an opportunity arose to catch him so I did.
Anyway - he's in small cup temporarily until I figure out what to do. Short term solution would be to keep him in a small isolated section of my sump (since this would keep temp/water etc. ok).
Any help is appreciated!
My first inclination was to just keep him in the main tank until proven guilty - but an opportunity arose to catch him so I did.
Anyway - he's in small cup temporarily until I figure out what to do. Short term solution would be to keep him in a small isolated section of my sump (since this would keep temp/water etc. ok).
Any help is appreciated!
