Hitch Hiker Crab

[Reefing_It]

Hey everybody,

I am new here and have recently set up a pico reef tank. It is about 10 litres or 2.6 gallons.

Today I got an elegance coral and before it started extending out I noticed what looked like a piece of its skeleton had broken off. However on closer inspection, it was a little round piece of shell or something that was acting as a door. Behind it i could see the moving legs of what looked like a tiny white crab. When I tried to get a photo the circular shell door thing had closed over the hole, covering the crab. It kind of reminds me of a funnel web spider. :uhoh2:

I only just got this coral and am worried I have released something nasty into the tank. The coral looked healthy at the shop. Does anyone on here have an idea of what this hitch hiker may be?


Thanks.

 

[Reefing_It]

Also I have a bubble coral and I just accidentally dropped a small piece of gravel into it when I was doing some rearranging. It closed up a bit the way it does when I feed it. Will it be okay?
Thanks again.

 

[Reefing_It]

I worried for nothing... the bubble coral spat out the gravel and is reopened in all it glory!

 

[Kaiser699a]

Honestly, I would remove any hitch hiker crabs.

 

[FoxFace Fish]

It could be an Acro crab... they are a white shell or sometimes a dull purple and they are actually good for certain corals as they eat certain diseases off of certain coral in exchange for shelter.. but I would do more research to find what kind it is and see if it's ok with your corals or he will eat them

 

[Reefing_It]

Thank you, he did look similar to some of the white acro crabs. If it isn't a acro crab and is going to cause problems, how can I catch it?

 

[Reefing_It]

Heres a picture of the little trap door it hides behind. I don't get much time to view it before the elegance expands and covers it.

 

[FoxFace Fish]

You could get a clean pair of tweezers and go down and get a hold of him and pull him out if you don't want him

 

[T-dub]

Are you sure it was legs like a crab? I've seen spaghetti worms with a similar structure. They have "legs" that come out but they are generally very long and not "crab like" My bet would be some kind of worm.

 

[Reefing_It]

That is a possibility. Tonight when the lights are out I might sit and watch to try and identify it better.