Tiny Pink Crab on Pink Birdsnest ?

[gary faulkner]

Had a tiny pink crab hitchhike in on a Pink Birdsnest.

Do you think it's safe?

TIA

 

[sjfishguy]

when in doubt, throw it out

 

[Tennyson]

Any pics? Sometimes there are hitchiker crabs that are okay. If its hairy, I'd throw it out, but otherwise, I'd say its a coral crab that doesn't need to be removed, but a picture of it would be very helpful

 

[gary faulkner]

Gonna try to get a pic a little later.

It's not hairy at all. I think it's going to be ok but I'll see about a pic so I can make sure.

Thanks

 

[rssjsb]

A picture would help, but I'm willing to bet that what you've got is a commensal acro crab. If so, they're completely harmless and may be beneficial to your coral.

 

[gary faulkner]

 

[gary faulkner]

 

[gary faulkner]

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[gary faulkner]

top

 

[gary faulkner]

from underneath.

 

[sjfishguy]

That is no acro crab and those look like polyp eaters to me. Right in the garbage he goes.....

 

[LeslieH]

That's a Trapezia, an obligate commensal crab on lives on pocilloporid corals. It's harmless and even beneficial to its host.

 

[gary faulkner]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11580677#post11580677 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LeslieH
That's a Trapezia, an obligate commensal crab on lives on pocilloporid corals. It's harmless and even beneficial to its host.

Thanks Leslie, pocilloporid corals, would that include pink birdsnest? That's the coral that I obtained, but the crab was actually in the bottom of the bag.

And should I try to place the crab into the coral?

Any help you could give me would be much appreciated as I've never had a good crab before.

Thanks again

 

[gary faulkner]

The crab has been isolated for about three days now.

Can I try to feed it before placing back into reef?

And what do you think it will eat?

 

[mollymonticello]

I'm glad you are going to save him! I bet it would eat a piece of mysis if you squirted him with it, I never met a crab that didn't like mysis.

 

[LeslieH]

Yes, birdsnest corals are pocilloporids. Just put the crab on the coral. They eat mostly coral mucus & the particulates that are caught in the mucus. so probably the mysis would be rejected. The sooner you get it back on the coral the happier they both will be.

 

[gary faulkner]

I offered the crab mysis and nori and it ignored both.

So I put it back with the birdsnest and it immediately began to eat off of the coral. Not the coral itself but at the base where there are no polyps.

Thanks for all the help. I now have my first good crab! And learned how to post pics too. It's been a very good week.

Thanks again everyone.

 

[lancer99]

Leslie, thanks for that. We are too often eager to eject any hitchhikers.

gary, just for your edification: Cnidaria->Anthozoa->Scleractinia->family Pocillaporidae (including Stylophora, Pocillopora, Seriatopora, and the Caribbean genera Madracis and Palaustrea).

-R

 

[gary faulkner]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11594998#post11594998 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by lancer99
Leslie, thanks for that. We are too often eager to eject any hitchhikers.

gary, just for your edification: Cnidaria->Anthozoa->Scleractinia->family Pocillaporidae (including Stylophora, Pocillopora, Seriatopora, and the Caribbean genera Madracis and Palaustrea).

-R

lancer99

Thanks for the info.

 

[lhoy]

We have GOT to stop prolmugating the myth that if it is hairy it is bad. Please go read some of Leslie's invormation on the web about crabs!!!

Many people remove a crab that is great to have.

Lee