is this a bad acro crab - pics

[johns]

i recently found 6 or 7 acro crabs in some of my colonies. most i am not worried about at all - they are smaller, smoother and i think i've seen pics of them before.

But there are 2 in particular that look different from the rest - a bit fuzzier (not hairy, but fuzzy), a bit bigger (one is about 1/2 inch). But more importantly, the colony that one of them was in has started for the past week or so to show some signs of damage.

My question: Is this a bad acro crab? or is it fine like the others and maybe something else is wrong with my acro?

I caught both crabs today. needless to say they are now in the sump, just in case. I accidently broke off a claw while I was 'extracting' this guy:

Here is the acro that it was in. If you look in the very center, where all the branches are basically coming together, this is where the crab spent most of it's time. The damage is to the bottom portions of a few of the branches to the left of that center spot:

so again, Is this a bad acro crab? or is it fine like the others and maybe something else is wrong with my acro?

 

[EdBurhop]

Looks like the ones living in my acros!
Ed

 

[mr. pluto]

looks like a blue eye, is it hairy? if so squish...

 

[an-sps]

if it is hairy flush it.

 

[johns]

Yes, it looks like it has pale blue eyes. Is that a distinguishing characteristic? The legs are a bit fuzzy-like.

I had these in 2 colonies for about 3 months or so. One colony doesnt show anything wrong, I think. The other started just a couple weeks ago, after a couple mnths of no problems.

 

[Amphiprion]

It is a small Xanthid--I would not trust it there with your corals.

 

[ScallopKing]

Ditch it if it's not smooth. Those blue eyes are a give away. I've had the same thing happen to me in one of mine.

 

[tdsounds]

found a couple of blue eyed hairy legs in acros..had some tissue recession on them; therefore, they got squished! I don't trust the blue eyed ones either!

 

[damienkee]

yes, very bad! remove them fr ur tank.

 

[mntl]

It's a blue-eyed-fuzzy . In the sump or squish it. I have seen even teeny-pencil eraser sized ones do what looks like happened to your acro.

-John-

 

[oosurfin]

i just got a new acro with one of thoes in it... problem is... the crab is about the size of an eraser head and the colony... the size of a fist+

 

[zonco]

kILL iT knOW

 

[falconut]

Is that the way to tell if they are bad? Hairy = Bad & Smooth = Good? I was thinking of buying an Acro at the LFS, but they have crabs in alot of their corals. Some were hairy, so I guess - Bad. Others had smooth, clean, redish or whithish colored crabs, so I guess these are Good? Thanks.