what kind of crab is this?

[azrednex]

this is a hitchhiker I have no idea what it is. It eats stuff off the LR algea or detritus. fairly secretive purpleish claws with no "teeth" on them. please help me with ID thanks.

 

[crustin]

hes got pinchers

 

[azrednex]

pincers, claws what's the difference?

 

[crustin]

it can kill, wreck havoc, but i would keep him till he does

 

[azrednex]

eloborate please

 

[bertoni]

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-12/rs/index.php

That article discusses identifying crabs. Can you get a shot from the top, to reveal the basic body shape?

True crabs are always a risk in terms of predation, so I'd remove the animal, but you might choose to keep it.

 

[azrednex]

I just looked a little closer and saw teeth on the pincers I missed before. I just read some of that article and it looks like the body type would be grapsid.

 

[bertoni]

Ouch! Good luck!

 

[delor]

Do you have a sump you can let him live in?...

 

[jaymz101]

Most hitchhikers are Xantid IME. Grapsids are usually fairly dorsally compressed while xanthids are bulkier. Both stay fairly small. Xanthids will eat anything they can get to including polyps, algae, and meaty foods including your fish when they get larger. Usually they have darker dactyls (fingers) too.

Ive got a few in my system that I cant seem to get rid of. But I havent noticed any serious damage. Ill pull them out when I do.

 

[stupac21]

I have one that looks like that, I'm not sure what it is, but it hasn't bothered anything. It pretty much scavanges.

 

[akrimmel]

is it hairy on the body itself, are the claws a different color from the body?

 

[azrednex]

body doesn't appear hairy ,but the legs do. he just scavenges ,Yes the claws are purplish and the body and legs have a very cool motled paters of white and grayish-brown.

 

[azrednex]

body doesn't appear hairy ,but the legs do. he just scavenges ,Yes the claws are purplish and the body and legs have a very cool motled paters of white and grayish-brown.

 

[azrednex]

body doesn't appear hairy ,but the legs do. he just scavenges ,Yes the claws are purplish and the body and legs have a very cool motled paters of white and grayish-brown.