Hairy, Fuzzy Crab Teddy Bear Crab?

[StinkinTuna]

Hi this is actually a follow up thread on Reef discussion, someone suggested I post here to get the invert gurus opinions so here it is:

Found this guy today for the first time, had the tank for almost a year now and have not added any live rock since day 1.

Question is: Is he a general goodie or baddie and do I need to worry about small fish ?(think he eats hermit crabs and snails )

Would you guys keep him in a community reef tank?

Original Post and lots more pics here: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=752679

Thanks!

 

[capncapo]

He eats ANYTHING he can catch.

Absolutely not reef safe.

 

[LeslieH]

There are several different "teddy bear crabs" and it's hard to tell them apart because of all that fur! But this one looks like a Pilumnus, in the family Xanthidae. They're general omnivores and like Capncapo said will eat anything they can catch. Several xanthids are known to be poisonous because they eat zoanthids & retain the toxin produced by the zoanthids for their own defense.

 

[StinkinTuna]

Many people on the other forum (above link) think that the Teddy Bear Crab is relatively harmless to the reef tank. Is this not a Teddy Bear Crab or do you think Teddy Bear Crabs are dangerous to the little guys in the tank?

Thanks!

 

[StinkinTuna]

LeslieH:

Would you leave this guy in your tank or do you recommend trying to trap him and get him out?

 

[BeanAnimal]

Stinkin... I think Leslie and most "in the know" would agree that this crab (and any furry crab) is NOT reef safe by any means. For that matter all crabs are opprotunistic omnivores and not really reef safe. Some just happen to be bigger and meaner than others. From everything I have read with regards to these guys... they are pretty nasty and should be removed if there is anything that you value their size or smaller. They will also do a pretty good job at eating the beneficial stuff out of the sand bed.

Wether you leave him or remove him is up to you. You just need to be aware that he is very capable of doing damage.

 

[capncapo]

Take a look at the claws on that thing and then tell me that you honestly think it could possibly be a reef safe inhabitant. Those claws are not there so it can tear up flake food or shrimp pellets.

If it can catch a fish, it will eat a fish. It has already eaten some of your hermit crabs and snails. What does it need to eat before you think "maybe it's not reef safe"?

They are neat looking animals worthy of a species tank but are in no way a "community" tank animal.

 

[LeslieH]

S'Tuna - The problem with a common name like "teddy bear crab" is that any crab covered with long hairs fits into it. There's a lot of hairy crab species and they may have different food preferences. I have no way of knowing if the other forum members are referring to the same crab as yours or not. This guy is not a vegetarian. Whether he can catch a fish probably depends on the size of the fish compared to him.

If I had a tank I'd prefer worms & crabs to corals & fish. Oddly enough most reefers don't feel the same.

 

[StinkinTuna]

Thanks BeanAnimal for the input! Certainly gives me more to think about when deciding to keep this guy in the tank or not.

capncapo:

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6518610#post6518610 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by capncapo

If it can catch a fish, it will eat a fish. It has already eaten some of your hermit crabs and snails. What does it need to eat before you think "maybe it's not reef safe"?

The main question I was trying to get at, capncapo, was the general aggressiveness of this crab as to whether it was 'reef safe'. It would seem 'reef-safe' is a relative term and that what some might conder 'reef-safe' others would surely differ, as in this case.

I have a brittle star which I have also seen eating a snail and those are supposedly 'reef-safe'. And as you should know there are numerous types of fish which some would and others would not consider 'reef-safe'. In fact hermit crabs will kill snails for their shells, are those 'reef-safe' according to you?

So addressing your rather condescending remark above, for me to consider it not reef safe would be it naturally preying on small fish (like a small Mandarin or goby) or whether it would attack sand sifting stars or if it FREQUENTLY and consitently depletes my hermit crab and snail population. It would need to be aggressive consitently to its tank mates for me to errr.."think...maybe it's not reef safe"?

I appreciate BeanAnimal and LeslieH responses they truly do help alot!

But I have to wonder if capncapo is actually trying to be helpful and just has a hmmm......sarcastic way of explaining himself or just trying to be 'smart'.

 

[capncapo]

StinkinTuna,

This animal IS agressive. It has already been aggressive in your tank and you can pretty much guarantee that it will be even more agressive the larger it gets. That is how they survive in the wild. Being in your tank doesn't change that. It doesn't matter how "cute" they are, they are killers by nature and by design. Again, look at the claws and try to discern the job that they were "designed" to do. A crabs claws are a visual indicator of what the crab "does" for a living.

It will FREQUENTLY and CONSISTANTLY deplete your population of snails, hermits and, if it can catch them, even your fish. That is a guarantee! Teddy bear crab is just a name and not an indicator of temperament.

My first post to you said that your crab will eat anything it can catch and that it is not reef safe. That information was echoed by LeslieH . Were I to ask that question and get those answers I would think that what I was being told was that it is not good for it to be in my tank. You obviously did not catch my drift so I thought that I would put it to you in no uncertain terms.

Believe it or not, ALL serpent stars are omnivores and will eat a snail, hermit or even a fish if hungry enough and given the opportunity. IF you happen to have a green serpent star, otherwise known as "The Green Death" I can guarantee you that it will also eat a fish and is quite adept at catching them.