Sally lightfoot crabs--eat fish?

reefkeeper2

Premium Member
I have two very large sally lightfoot crabs in my 425 gal. Can they trap and eat fish?I have had a rash of mysterious disapearances of fish in the past month. Normally I would simply infer that the anemones in the tank had eaten the fish. I have threeanemones. Two haddoni and one gigantea. But one of the missing is a large yellow tang and there has never been any trace of the fish after the disapearance. Ususally an anemone will regurgitate some remains of a large fish it has ingested. Also the disapearances always occur at night. When the lights go out the fish is there. When they come on the fish is gone. Any ideas who my fishnapper might be? I have lost 9 chromis, 2 damsels and one yellow tang in the past 2 months.
 
Large Sally's can be aggressive opportunistic feeders, and will capture and eat whatever they can. If the crab is large enough and the fish small enough, night time is the best time for the crab as the fish are resting in the rockwork are easier prey.
 
I have a 3 1/2 inch sally lightfoot and it lunges after my yellow tang all the time, but isnt quick enough to get it. The funny part is its scared of my two perculas that are much smaller than the sally.
 
yes i think the sallys are the suspects of the dissapear of your fishes! although i thing hadonnis can be suspects too.....
 
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