monitpora eating crab

[CTaylor]

Hi,
I am pretty sure I'm right now watching a tiny crab eating my montipora digitata. I cant get a good pic or move it b/c I don't yet have a macro lens. It's small like an acro crab, but is a green/brown color. I'm thinking it is eating the coral because I noticed bleached spots on it earlier today. I saw what looked like a piece of algae one of the dead spots. Well that wasnt algae -- it was this tiny crab. I'd pull it off, but the monti has grown onto the rockwork, it is part of the rock work now. 1/4 has been eaten already. I guess I"m screwed?

**Will this crab move onto my acros?
I'm thinking this is a gift hitchhiker from one of my acros I brought back from reefapalooza. Which makes me think it will move on to acros later. Though it could be from a small ricordea rock I put in just yesterday.

Anyone experience similar and what did you do?, when your coral was stuck in your tank? Even if I did pull it out i'm sure the crab would fly off it.

At first I thought it was my tank's conditions even though all the acros look great.

Thanks

 

[CTaylor]

here's an iphone vid of him eating monti this morning. It's very fussy, but the crab is near the center. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1O2GCpiaGw&feature=youtu.be

 

[ckw_1980]

I can't see the crab in your video. Try using your syphon to suck that guy outta there maybe? Good luck

 

[CTaylor]

syphon might be a good idea.. I really need a good lens on my nikon to shoot this cute pest lol.
Any motion though like with a syphon, tweezers and je jumps. I might need to remove the coral, which = breaking it. It's attached to two rocks! It did start quite small back in December. So I'm not killing the coral. I just need the crab to stay in the coral during the break up, and lifting out of water. Though I'll try to figure out how to put the coral fragments in a container while under the water. And hope this is the only coral eating crab I have.

 

[CTaylor]

I think this thread has a pic of a larger version on him.. fuzzy and same color! http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=402601