gorilla crab?

[PONCHDOG2000]

i saw a set of furry legs and an empty snail shell today.(i have never seen this animal in my tank before) it looked like it was picking through it. i don't know whether it was a snail or another crab in the snail shell. i went to get my net to fish it out and it was gone along with the shell. i have had problems with snails, i guessed it was due to the lack of algae in my tank, i figured they were starving to death. could this crab be the culprit? so, i don't have a picture and i didn't see its whole body. i just saw brown, really furry legs. what are some possibilities for what this crab might be? and if it is a gorilla crab is it reef safe?

 

[figuerres]

sounds like a gorilla...


almost all crabs are bad for a reef tank.

there are a few (as in about 3) kinds that are ok.
porcalin crabs, 2-3 kinds of crab that live inside some coral colonys and sometimes emerald / mithrax crabs.

any kind of stone crab, free swiming crab, blue crab, gorlilla etc... will create problems.

crabs will move rocks, toss coral over, eat fish,snails,corals and just about anything they can grab and hold.

 

[PONCHDOG2000]

i have only seen it once, that was today. so, how do i get it out. i don't even know where its evil lair is.

 

[JR719]

The gorrillas I've had liked to stay in sps and pick them to death. Keep an eye out, when you find one.... Remove the coral and jab them with a straight pin or something. Then use hemostats and crunch them, squash 'em, and pull 'em out.