hitchhiker id please

[robotman]

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alright ive known this crab h as been in here for months but he was really small when I saw him, he seems to have doubled in size in a week O_O he was maybe the size of a quarter 2-3 weeks ago but now looks like the size of a half dollar.

id? he has black claws white tips, hairy legs purple/red eyes. he doesn't seem to bother anything, I only see him scraping at the rocks. and he I found him near my hammer corals once but nothing ever seemed out of place.

 

[Boboli]

Gorilla Crab. Xanthidae Crab
Get him out if you value the livestock in your tank. When they get hungry these crabs will eat just about anything, especially your favorite coral, clam, fish, etc.
http://www.chucksaddiction.com/hitchcrabs.html

 

[FTDelta]

Gorilla crab. Not reef safe.

 

[GerritM]

That´s a primarily harmless algae eater crab --> Pilodius sp. or a similar specie.

 

[TDM70]

When in doubt, sump them out. lol. Big claws generally mean they'll rip apart corals and potentially eat live stock. If you can, move him to your refugium.

 

[rssjsb]

Most "rules of thumb" about crabs aren't really based on anything very scientific (i.e., hairy legs, big claws). And that claw looks like an algae-scraping instrument to me.

 

[Betta132]

I dunno... I'd put it in the sump. Even if maybe it has algae-scraping claws, it's still big and strong and has pointy claws... I'm pretty sure crabs are opportunistic feeders, it'll probably eat stuff.
Really neat crab, though. I like how bumpy it is.