Video of Emerald Crab eating SPS polyps from green birdsnest

[SoFloReefer]

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[Reefer1225]

I KNEW IT! I caught my 2 emeralds doing the same thing but I kept telling my self he is just picking off algae or deitrus off of my acros. I didn't see any damage to the coral, but I am not getting polyp extension. Thanks for posting this video, I think its proof that they do eat polyps! To the sump they go!

 

[SoFloReefer]

Ya. I was watching him tonight go after my Garf Bonsai, my Crocea clam mantel, then cruise over to the less nice birdsnest frag and start ripping out polyps. I'll let him live but not in my tank.

 

[allsps40]

I got an emerald crab to eat some bubble algae. It went right for my superman monti.

 

[IamLoki]

Yeah, I had a couple emeralds a couple of years ago and noticed that some of my corals had bite marks or chunks missing on them. I observed the same thing when the lights when out. Caught one of the crabs eating polyps. Needless to say I don't keep anything with pinchers in my tank anymore.

Thanks for the video.

 

[M007]

Good to know :hmm5:

 

[Jeremy Blaze]

Can't say I see it eating polyps.

 

[SoFloReefer]

It was more interested in my camera pointed at it but I could see it pulling polyps out.

 

[fishnub]

i watched my emralds demolish a polyp of darth mauls.. i will never have one again

 

[acroholicreefer]

It looks like it was eating the macro life on the birdsnest. If it was picking polys off of the BN, you would't be seeing any PE during the video.

 

[Acronic]

IME when they get bigger they go for SPS.

 

[rmalone]

I have a couple that have pretty much taken care of some bubble algae and I think they may be going after a few sps. Looks like it may be time for an eviction.

 

[Amoore311]

Is that not a Poccilopora in the video?

 

[SoFloReefer]

Is that not a Poccilopora in the video?

I think its birdsnest, what ever that is. I just got it from my cousin a week ago.

 

[Reefer1225]

How the hell do you catch these suckers. I have a 90 gallon. They come out at night. I try to grab them with a net didn't work. Then I tried to grab by hand, but they quickly dart into a nook and cranny of the rocks. Damnit!

 

[SoFloReefer]

My current tank is small, so I can wait till he is out in the open, and with my net and hand, net him. In the past, I took a 20 oz soda bottle, cut the top off, reverse the top and reinserted it into the bottle, and added food to the bottle. The top makes a funnel that the crab can climb into, but not get out of. This also worked on a Damsel fish. A drinking glass tilted up with food would also probably work. The crab won't be able to to climb the smooth sides to get out.

 

[tmgrash]

Interesting...I personally have two fairly large emerald crabs and they seem fairly harmless. From the vid it doesn't appear to be eating the polyps. If I grab an sps like that it retracts it's polyps pretty quickly, maybe cleaning something off?

 

[Reefer1225]

Thanks, going to try to use that trick to get them out.

 

[Jeremy Blaze]

Is that not a Poccilopora in the video?

Sure looks like it to me.