Porcelain crabs & Clowns sharing?

[Leviathan_XE]

Just like the title states, I've had the clowns and the GBTA for a a few years. Just added a pair of porcelain anemone crabs (Neopetrolisthes ohshimai) last friday. One stayed near the nem while the clowns swatted at it and the other wandered the tank. Over a period of a few days they worked their way from under the nem to dead center. The clowns fought back at first but now they seem to be sharing? Or is this just a temporary truce in an ongoing fight? Should I need to be worried about any damage to any of them? If push comes to shove I will remove the crabs and let the percs have their home back. But do I need to?

 

[Toddrtrex]

In my limited experience with this, it didn't work. The crab was in one S. Haddoni, and my pink skunk pair was in another -- worked this way for a year. The clowns anemone died, they went to the crab's anemone. The crab was kicked out, and hung out on the rocks near it. I ended up selling the clowns and the crab was happy again.

I would keep an eye, who really knows what may happen.

 

[demonnite57]

I got a Cinnamon clown and and an anemone crab sharing a Sebae anemone. The crab stays near the edges of the Sebae and the Clown pretty much traverses the whole anemone. Occasionally they'll poke at each other, but for the most part they leave each other alone. This relationship has been going on for about 4 months now.

 

[danreefs]

My saddlebacks share a Haddoni with a crab

 

[elegance coral]

My perculas shared a large gigantea with a crab for about 6 months. Then one day I got up and the crab had moved to the haddoni on the other side of the tank.

 

[Toddrtrex]

Can't believe no one has posted pics, guess I will have to start.

 

[Angel*Fish]

My porcelain got along fine on with the clowns, but he had to stay kind of underneath most of the time.

 

[bluezx636]

Great pics what kind of camera are you using?

 

[Toddrtrex]

Thanks, it is a Nikon D60

 

[shabreeson]

will porcelain crabs take to a Goniopora?

 

[Toddrtrex]

I personally wouldn't risk it -- Gonis are hard enough to keep alive, wouldn't want to add any stress.

 

[shabreeson]

yeah that's probably a safe call

 

[MikeInToronto]

I had my porcelain crab in a LTA with a nigripes and the crab got booted out of the anemone completely. I removed the nigripes and replaced it with a pair of brown saddlebacks and there has been no aggression at all. It's been about 8 months.

 

[chimmike]

anyone have any problems with porcelain crabs nipping on corals? I'm figuring no, but just wondering.

 

[AGYDAL]

<a href="http://s1131.photobucket.com/albums/m547/AGYDAL/?action=view&current=user249232_pic24245_1292640251.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m547/AGYDAL/user249232_pic24245_1292640251.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

My porcelain crab has been in my tank for 6 months...after I acclimated him, I dropped him right next to my sebae he immediately crawled onto the sebae and began rubbing his big pinchers on it...it look almost like he was hugging it, I have video somewhere it was pretty cute...I guess he was greatful he was out of a 5gal. bucket and into an anemone, he has not left the Sebae since...the only thing I have seen him do is snip off little bits of my cleaner shirmps whiskers when it attempts to steal the anemones food...I dont mind this, they grow back and it deters the cleaner shrimp from stealing the sebaes food.

I have an ORA Picasso Clown in the tank also...but I'm coming to the conclusion it's not the brightest fish in the tank (metaphorically speaking) originally it tried hosting my a Trachyphyllia and currently it bounces between my Desera Clam and the cleaner shrimps whiskers when lights are off...it swims over the Sebae all the time but has yet to figure it out, he pays no attention to the crab and the crab doesn't seen to care about the Picasso...I'm wondering if holding pictures up to the tank of clowns in anemones might work to give him an idea of what he should be calling home haha.

Don't trust me 100% on this but, I think these guys are considered more of a lobster than crab? I think remember reading that about them when I was researching if I wanted one or not.

 

[fjr_wertheimber]

Chimmike, no, never had that problem. Porcelain crabs are filter feeders, pulling stuff out of the water. If you look at Toddtrex's third photo, you can see his "fans" out, filtering stuff out of the water column. Really interesting crabs, I had one and my ex-girlfriend had one; they're really a lot of fun to watch.

 

[demonnite57]

Porcelain crabs are filter feeders for the most part, but I have seen mine run up and grab some food I've put in the tank when I feed them. Of course the food either has to be on the Sebae or within reaching distance for him. It's fun to watch him eat the food though and raise his Pincers at any oncoming fish.

 

[AGYDAL]

Demonnite57- Mine does that too!...he doesn't really seem to eat all that much when he does steal food though and then he just drops it on the anemone anyway so it s like ABC (already been chewed) food for the sebae, I think my sebae likes the ABC food better actually.

They're definitely a cool addition to a tank. Everyone expects to see Nemo in an anemone but this little guy, totally unexpected...nice little surprise and conversation topic when non reefers see your tank...I have mine in a 14 JBJ cube with a 150 Watt halide (yes I know sebae get huge and their bioload is big too... I have a bigger tank he will move to soon) everyone that sees my tank always thinks he's the coolest thing in the tank (ugh, 10$ easy to keep crab steals the show) mine also does this little movement with his fans that looks like he's rubbing his face or blowing his nose I assume he's eating in reality but its funny to watch.

One thing I hate is that when he molts I always think he died...his molt is not a clear or opaque it looks JUST like him, but upside down on the sand...after he moltes he usually hides under the sebae...once again not 100% but I read something about how they have to let their new exo harden and get the anemone stuff back on them before they go back onto the anemone so they don't become a snack.

Good luck they're fun little guys.

 

[AGYDAL]

<a href="http://s1131.photobucket.com/albums/m547/AGYDAL/?action=view&current=2011-01-31230305.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1131.photobucket.com/albums/m547/AGYDAL/2011-01-31230305.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

 

[romsoccer12]

i witnessed 2 times my porcelain crab killing my clowns. the 3rd i walked upstairs and he had it dead in his claw. i guess i just got a mean one. he was always pretty big, and the clows were always pretty small, but still bigger than him.