What kind of crab is this?

[allendehl]

Hello folks.

After a little over a year I have a crab invasion in my tank. I was able to capture 4 gorilla with bottles but then the others have gotten smart. Though I think they not gorillas. Most of them are doing some kind of karate move with their dusters.
Well, I manage to capture one more and before I decide his fate in want to confirm his intentions.
It seems greenish...maybe an emerald?

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[Sk8r]

Not mithrax, I think. Claws are outsized and problematic.

 

[cincyjim]

It almost favors a Porcelain Crab. What do you when you say "dusters"? Below is the description of them I got from Live Aquaria site. If it is one these then its a keeper.


The Porcelain Crab is common throughout the tropical oceans of the world, and has a flat, round body with two large front claws. They are brown and orange in coloration with bright blue spots. These crabs have a pair of front arms called maxillipeds, which have ends that are feather-like in appearance. They use these appendages to filter the water for any passing food. They are peaceful and interesting invertebrates for the marine aquarium.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Looks like a porcelin crab.

 

[Crooked Reef]

If they are constantly waving their feather duster things in front of their face like they are using them to eat from the water column, they are porcelain crabs and pretty much the only reef safe crab and I actually trust them. The colors kind of match the ones on liveaquaria


Mithrax, hermits, all of the reef safe ones are opportunistic and will attack and kill small sleeping fish if given the chance.

 

[allendehl]

This one in particular doesn't seem to be doing the feather duster move. Maybe because it was scared. Most of the ones I still have in the tank do.

Thank you all!!

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[Uncle99]

It is always prudent and safe to not trust any crab, there is no such thing as a reef safe crab. They are opportunistic, thus if given the chance........

I had one of these, quite resilient and as it grew acted like a predator.

Since going "crab free" over 2 years ago, I have no coral retracts, no missing inhabitants, not even a snail.

 

[allendehl]

Yeah! I pulled it into QT. Hard to capture these karate kids. Bottle traps did it for some gorilla but these folks seem a bit smarter and I have a ton of them...enough for a good stew probably.

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[NeonFish]

porcelain crab has 3 pairs or legs instead of 4. more like a filter feeder than a scavenger.

 

[doradosteve]

petrolisthes armatus aka Green Porcelain Crab