Reef Safe or Not

[jf2381]

I know it's a crab. The claws are flat at the tip and it's not aggressive. I can pick him/her up and he/she does not try to attack me.
According to my 4 year old son it's Mr. Krabs and the claws are flat like that so he can make krabby pattys.

I have him/her in my sump because I don't know if he/she is reef safe.

Should I keep him/her in the sump or add him/her to my show tank

Thanks for looking.
Jose

 

[opie]

It is very hard to make out any features of the crab because the crab itself is underexposed.
It might be an emerald crab though - which are 50/50 in my experience.

 

[jf2381]

I'll take better shots this afternoon.

 

[opie]

Actually, I took another look on a better profiled monitor (Powerbook) and it certainly looks like an Emerald crab. We'd need to see closer pics of the claws to make sure though... I'd say 90% sure its an emerald.

 

[jf2381]

I looked at the Emerald crab and the claws are shaped the same way. So it is an Emerald. I'm going to setup a ten gallon and put him in there with a few lbs of live rock.

 

[coralnut99]

Consider that Emeralds are a carribean species for the most part, and that there are more than one species. If he came in as a hitchhiker, do you have anything of carribean origin in your tank? This also wouldn't be exact since wholesalers don't always manage to segregate livestock by origin. From the picture he looks a little too dark in color to be an emerald, but as others have said, it's a tough call. In my experience all crabs become opportunistic omnivores, and are very difficult to judge in terms of behavior. Putting him in a separate tank was a good call.

 

[jf2381]

I'm not going to put him in the main tank. I don't want to risk it.
Thanks for the help guys. Better pictures for you guys to see.

 

[jnfallon]

doesnt look like any of the emeralds Ive had.

 

[gil716]

you're a good person jose.

 

[coralnut99]

I'm certainly not an expert, but that doesn't look like an emerald to me. The only question is what your definition of reef safe is. To some it's just a question of whether an animal's diet includes corals, etc. To some it also includes it's "mobility", meaning it's not gonna eat your corals, but it will rearrange them for you. In the case of crabs, lots of them aren't coral munchers. But they will take down sleeping, slow-moving, or sick fish. They can also make your snail population shrink some too. If you have a tank to move him to, I think you've done the safest and most responsible thing.

 

[jf2381]

I started setting up the 10g last night. I had a nano before so I have all the equipment in storage.
I was more concern about my coral population starting to shrink. I'm not too concern about the fish since they are pretty big and I'm moving all my fish to a fish only tank in the next few weeks.
My son comes home and the first thing he does is look into the sump to make sure he is still there.
I'm going to place the tank in his room to make him happy.


Thanks Gil716.

 

[coralnut99]

Sounds like a plan! If my sump-dwellin', fish eatin', snail munchin' crab wasn't so gosh darn big and nasty, I'd do the same. You're doing great keeping your son's interest in the hobby. My 13 year old is now my right-hand man.

 

[jf2381]

Have to get them started early. LOL
My son is fascinated by all the interesting/strange things in my tank.