What kind of crab?

[andyrew]

I found this molt in my tank, but I was unaware that I had any crabs other than some hermits. Here's a couple of pics:

Ive seen this crab a couple of times but Ive its very shy and I havent been able to catch it.

Is it true that you only need to worry about crabs that are "hairy"?? (Not that this one has done anything I am aware of)

 

[charlesr1958]

That would be a typical xanthid crab, of which there are far to many species within that genus for me to even hazard that guess. Needless to say, they are probably the most numerous of the crab types that can be found in/on live rock and happen to be the toughest ones as well. Which means you stand a very good chance of adding some when you add rock. These are not reef safe and can become quite destructive as they grow. Wether they are "hairy" or not has nothing to do with how well they behave. Since all crabs are omnivores and can be capable of going after "meatier" items within our systems, I do not allow any free roaming crabs to remain in my show tank. The commnesal types are okay but only because they do not leave their host / host area. If you can remove this crab, I would.

Chuck

 

[andyrew]

Thanks Chuck,

I was debating whether or not to bother posting this, but Im glad I did because I had no idea this crab is a potential problem.

I've been moving to add more corals and so I'll put some effort into getting rid of this crab.