TBS rock in my 180, will this work?

[BrandonFlorida]

I am going to break down my tank to add more rock and do a different rock scape. I have several white looking crabs and a few more that are hairy. When I take out the rocks can I dip them in freshwater to get the crabs to leave the rock or is there something else I should use?

 

[BrandonFlorida]

I also saw someone say club soda, would that work? Also could a crab eat some utter chaos zoas?

 

[d2mini]

The club soda is supposed to be effective but expect to kill pods, sponges, etc that are on the rock too.

 

[BrandonFlorida]

That is what I don't wanna do. Have you tried fresh water? I gotta get these guys out..

 

[shred5]

Fresh water is bad...
Try a crab trap...

 

[d2mini]

I just wait for them to come out into the open and grab them with my 24" long stainless forceps. Sometimes they come out in one piece, sometimes not.

 

[shred5]

Yea sometimes I just stab them, they become fish food.

But you can make a trap out of a soda bottle. Cut the top off turn it inside out and a few spots of super glue to hold it on, you do not even have to do that. Put a few stones in it to hold it still and on the bottom. Throw a shrimp in it once the lights out and in the morning it should be have caught them.

 

[anbosu]

Putting the rock in fresh water or using soda water would ruin the point of getting live rock, since you'd have significant die off.

 

[BrandonFlorida]

I was just going to dip them for a few to see if I can get the crabs to jump off the rock. I wasn't going to let the rock sit for extended periods of time being the rock is in my 180 gallon tank now. I don't really wanna kill the crabs.. I was going to put them in my sump and let them grow out..

So either the old soda bottle trick or I have to do this manually correct? This is the only reason I regret not QTing the rock from TBS. This is a pain in the butt..

 

[BrandonFlorida]

what about if I made saltwater at like 1.030 and dipped the rock in that?

 

[d2mini]

Let me ask you just out of curiosity.... why stressing over it so much?

 

[d2mini]

Also, FWIW, I freaked out a little the first time I got TBS.
Before I put it in the tank i squirted scalding hot tap water in the nooks and crannies fo the rock. I got a bunch of crabs out that way, but probably killed some good stuff in the process. Now I don't really worry about it. I look the rock over when i get and remove anything nasty that's on the outside, then put it in the tank. Then I'll grab stuff over time as I see it. Most of the time they're not really hurting anything because they are so small. When they get big they are easier to grab.

 

[BrandonFlorida]

Im really not stressing too much being they have been in there for about 4 months. I am just curing some new rock and will be adding it to the system and redoing the entire tanks scape. I figured that this would be the best time to get rid of the crabs that could give me a hard time later on being the rock will be moved to another bin for scaping..

 

[d2mini]

Cool, i hear ya.

 

[Bent]

I have (had) a pair of super long fine point kelly clamps by the tank for this reason. I'd see a crab at night, and take a stab at grabbing it with them.