Wife Found This?!? ***?!?

[ChaseNet]

Came home from work tonight and wife shows me the belong picture. Says she watched it crawl out from the rock shown, cut off some of my polyps that we're trying to grow back and sneak back under the rock.

I've never seen anything like this in my minor years of mild experience. She said it sorta moved like a crab but we never bought no crab that looks like this.

What is it? And advice as to what to do about it?

 

[Ron Reefman]

I've never seen a crab that looks like that. But if it removed coral and took it away, I'd get it out of the tank while you can. Too bad as it's such a cute little guy. But then in this hobby there are lots of pretty, or cute, or cool looking critters that aren't good for a reef tank.

 

[homer1475]

Definitely a crab, but I've never seen one that looks like that.

Most crabs in general are bad in a reef tank, they are opportunistic eaters, if they can get a hold of eat it and eat it, they will. Setup a trap and send him off to the sump.

 

[johnike]

Never seen a crab like that either, I'd catch it and keep it.
But yeah, get it out!

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Such an awesome looking crab, but like the others have mentioned I've never seen one that looks like that before either. I too would catch it and move it to the sump.

Might try posting this on the "Other Invertebrates" forum, maybe Joe can ID it. It's a beautiful crab that's for sure.

 

[Mike Ordner]

What ocean did the rock come from. Not really sure, but looks a little like juvenile crab in the genus Hepatus. The ones from the Gulf of Mexico is called the Calico Crab. I cannot really see the claws in picture, but they are very distinctive for this genus. If this is indeed what it is, it needs to go to the sump or out completely, they do not play nice with anything.

 

[ChaseNet]

It's a little piece of rock that came with the green polyps we bought. So not sure to be honest.

 

[Laredotx1987]

never seen a crab like that, but looks awesome and weird at the same time.

 

[ScienceRulez]

I would love to see something like that in my tank. The kids would absolutely love that little guy. He's a really cool looking crab. If you can get it ID'd, let me know please?

 

[michellejy]

I know it sucks when they are destroying your corals, but I have to agree with everyone who said it is a cool looking little thing.

 

[ScienceRulez]

I know it sucks when they are destroying your corals, but I have to agree with everyone who said it is a cool looking little thing.

I'd love to find out what it is and see if I could get one for our tank, or if nothing else, the refugium. Who knows, maybe it would develop a taste for aiptasia. :celeb1:

 

[lpsouth1978]

I agree that it looks a lot like a Calico Crab. They are great looking crabs, but you don't want it in you main tank. Get him out and into the sump.

 

[michellejy]

I'd love to find out what it is and see if I could get one for our tank, or if nothing else, the refugium. Who knows, maybe it would develop a taste for aiptasia. :celeb1:

I liked my Copperband Butterfly for that, but it wouldn't work well in a nano

 

[Bent]

Seven eleven crab?

Pretty cool man.