Porcelain Crab hogging my RBTA

[NaughtyCashew]

Hi Everyone,

Hope somebody can help me with this situation...

I just bought an RBTA for my ocellaris pair on Friday. It is a really nice anemone that split in a private tank. Ever since I put him in my tank, my porcelain crab has been all over it.

I know porcelain crabs are relatively benign, and are hosted in anemones in the wild, but I think he might be hurting my RBTA. He is a fairly large and active porcelain crab and he loves roaming around in the new anemone. I am worried that the anemone isn't large enough (or settled in enough) to handle the activities of the porcelain crab, especially when he hooks his back legs into the body of the anomene as he conducts his filter feeding. I have moved the crab to the other side of the tank, but he always finds his way back.

I really like the crab, but I would love if my ocellaris were hosted in the anemone.

Sorry for the long winded story, but I am starting to think I should remove the porcelain crab from the tank. Should I?

Thanks!
Matt

 

[smp]

I'de be curious to see what people have to say about this. I have two Ocellaris that aren't hosting my RBTA and I've had it for over a month now. They were originally hosting in a magnifica so I know that their hosting instinct is in tact.
I was thinking of getting a porcelain crab because I like them so much but I'm worried that I'll run into the same problem as you .. but then, if my clowns never take to the RBTA I will probably get a porcelain crab.

 

[offsprg0]

i had a porc crab in with my clown and my sebae. i had to remove the porc becuase he would reach inside the anemone's mouth and take foor from INSIDE the anemone.

 

[NaughtyCashew]

I really like the porcelain, but it does bother me how rough he is with the anemone. I have watched him hang upside down from it while clinging to the body with his hind legs. I'm not sure if he is poking holes in the anemone's body, but it can't be all the great for it. He hooks into his body with its sharp hind legs.

That and I sometimes see it "spur" the anemone with its hind legs, causing the anemone to retract.

The anemone is healthy so far, but I think that is mostly attributed to its general health before I got it on Friday.

 

[Javeo]

I have a porc. crab, a anemone shrimp and a pair of occelaris clowns sharing one GBTA for about 4 months now. The anem. has grown well in that time and seems fine, good colour, bubbled tips etc. Just give the crab something to eat before you feed the BTA and it will leave it alone, my GBTA has learned to compete with its symbiots, it eats a whole silverside in about 20 seconds now!!

 

[NaughtyCashew]

Wow!

How big is your anemone? Mine is only about 3-4 inches wide, and has a 3/4 inch porcelain spurring it and grabbing all over it.

I'm pretty sure I am going to end up giving my crab away to a buddy. I hate to see it go, but I really want the anemone to thrive (and host my clowns)

 

[Javeo]

i would say the disc is a good 8- 10" in diameter. I feed it a whole silverside two times a week, plus it has plenty of light. Just feed your one lots of food, in the wild anems. host maybe a pair of porcs, and lots of shrimp. Speaking of, and you'll probably think im exaggerating now, but also 3 sexy shrimp live on mine but they are only on it for short periods.