How can I trap a rogue crab?

[bpelkey]

The crab must have come in on some liverock.

I want to remove him before purchasing peppermint shrimp to hopefully remove an aiptasia infestation in my 125-gallon tank.

Thanks.

 

[MrRyanT]

Best way I've seen is to place a glass in the tank set at about a 45 deg angle with some food in the bottom of the glass. Leave it so that the crab can crawl into the glass. He will not be able to crawl back up the side of the glass.

 

[luther1200]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15347401#post15347401 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MrRyanT
Best way I've seen is to place a glass in the tank set at about a 45 deg angle with some food in the bottom of the glass. Leave it so that the crab can crawl into the glass. He will not be able to crawl back up the side of the glass.

+1 works great!

 

[OneReef]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15347401#post15347401 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MrRyanT
Best way I've seen is to place a glass in the tank set at about a 45 deg angle with some food in the bottom of the glass. Leave it so that the crab can crawl into the glass. He will not be able to crawl back up the side of the glass.

Yep, worked like a charm to get a big nasty crab out of my tank

 

[lilalove]

Will it work the same with plastic? I have a huge crab (about 4 inches) that eats my zoas I've been trying to get rid of.

 

[Agu]

Most plastic floats, use a large jar.

 

[TTU_Reefer]

watch "Deadlist Catch" learn from that and youl get him!

 

[A.VOID]

I just did this a couple weeks ago. I used an smaller orange juice glass. Took me about 3-4x until I got him.

 

[tipmoff]

If you're using plastic put a small piece of rck rubble or some kind of weight to keep the init sunk. I have used this method a few times and have had succes every time.

 

[atwinparadox2]

I used an empty, cut in half 20 oz, plastic soda bottle once. All i did was put a little sand in the bottom to weigh it down, put a cut up silverside in the bottom for the bait. I also cut a flap out of the excess bottle and glued it to the inside. Works like a trap where the crab pushes it's way into the bottle under the flap and can't get back out. Definite overkill, but the wife bet me it wouldn't work. One day later crab is out of the tank and into the fuge. Price of soda, $1.25, price of super glue for flap, $1.99, winning a bet that insures me a new coral for my tank....PRICELESS!

One thing you do have to do, is get it out fast once you get the crab. I cut the extra flap round on the sides to fit the contour of the bottle but the crab was working on a way out, that's for sure.