Hitchhiker crab id

ph86

New member
Hi I'm new to the forum.
I'm in week 6 of cycling my first salt water tank a fluval m90.

Knowing I'll soon be ready to add livestock, I have noticed this crab that has sneaked in with my live rock. I've tried to Id it through Google and forums and I cant find anything that looks similar. I'm looking to add corals and invertebrates soon and I don't want to be just giving this guy expensive food.

I'm amazed he's survived the cycle and I did have a slight ammonia spike in the early days.

He's very light shy but moves around allover the tank at night I've never seen him fully out of the rock myself.

I hope this pic is clear enough for someone to I'd it if not I'll dig the slr out.

Best way to describe it is about an inch and a half wide with a white shell with greeny brown dapple effect. It has greeny brown legs and claws.

I thought emerald crab at first but he just doesn't look like any I've seen.

Thanks in advance
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Thanks for the replies.

I'm in the process of trying to get him out now.

I'm trying the dip in freshwater method to get him out of the rocks with no luck so far. I'm going to wait until I can see him and quickly take that piece of rock out.

Is there a better method that anyone has used? I've heard that extra salty water works too.

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Got him.

I saw him in one of the smaller rocks he usually hides in grabbed the rock, dunked it in the ro and he came flying out.

I don't have a Sump (yet) for this tank so I can't put him in a refugium. I'm wondering if this would be a good idea anyway as he probably would have eaten everything in there.

Shame to have to let I'm go but it would have been even more of a shame if I didn't spot him and he munched up all my corals I'm planning on getting.

Anyway thanks to everyone for your help with this.

I'll get pics of the tank on here soon.

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