Would this work to save crabs from Interceptor?

[Dudester]

I have red bugs in my 30g cube and I'm going to treat with Interceptor, which will kill my hermit crabs, emerald crabs, and peppermint shrimp. I'd like to avoid killing them, and am setting up a "rescue" tank to place them into while the Interceptor is wiping out the red bugs.

I don't want to risk toppling my aquascape and if I can't get them out while they're all spunky, maybe after adding the Interceptor is dosed they'll become lethargic and easier to catch (or do they pretty much die right away)? Instead of putting them directly into the rescue tank, which would probably place the healthy crabs that I was able to catch at risk, I could place the crabs that were exposed to Interceptor into an interim holding tank (like a bucket) and keep them there for a couple of water changes before putting them into the rescue tank. Sounds like a lot of work for a few inverts, but I'd hate to kill them without giving them a fighting chance. The only downside to this would be that there would be a chance of them carrying Interceptor into the rescue tank and harming all of the other healthy animals, but I figure with a couple of water changes that risk would be negligible. What do you think?

 

[edwing206]

i think it sounds like a good plan, but you should wait until you get some more input form others

 

[Mike O'Brien]

Most crabs will come a runnin for some meat. Trap em.

 

[dirtyreefer]

I would get em out first. Do a good brine feeding first, they usually comeout. There won't be any harm to ther other crabs if you put some exposed ones in with them in the QT tank, however the exposed ones could die (if that makes sense).

 

[exoticaquatix]

i had the same question. i was worried about the crabs carrying RB back into the display on or in their shells though. what is the life cycle of a RB in absence of food (SPS corals) ? im about to sell all my freshwater fish so i have a quarentine tank/hermit haven while i do a treatment. i used to have about 12 diff kinds of hermits, im down to maybe 7 now but id hate to lose even more. Id also hate to do a Interceptor treatment for no reason.
Also, do i need to worry about my acro crabs? i have heard mixed reports on their sensitivity to Interceptor. none of the crabs are going to be easy to get out so i might just skip it and get new ones if they dont make it. thanks guys.
-nick

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8289486#post8289486 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by exoticaquatix
i had the same question. i was worried about the crabs carrying RB back into the display on or in their shells though. what is the life cycle of a RB in absence of food (SPS corals) ? im about to sell all my freshwater fish so i have a quarentine tank/hermit haven while i do a treatment. i used to have about 12 diff kinds of hermits, im down to maybe 7 now but id hate to lose even more. Id also hate to do a Interceptor treatment for no reason.
Also, do i need to worry about my acro crabs? i have heard mixed reports on their sensitivity to Interceptor. none of the crabs are going to be easy to get out so i might just skip it and get new ones if they dont make it. thanks guys.
-nick

Apparently the RB's can live 5 days at most without SPS corals as a host. I am getting ready to treat, and I have removed all my shrimp and hermits to a 10g tank and I will leave them in there for at least a week, along with some LR without coral on it (to re-introduce pods)

Acro crabs will die. Do you know of an easy way to "get new ones?". I am removing my acro crabs before treating.

 

[exoticaquatix]

i work at a LFS ("duh" if your from Baltimore) so i basicly just go through our SPS tanks and find them then ask a manager if i can take a couple. not sure if that would work for everyone.
i see your from towson Lobster, i just started up at TU this year. you mind if i come by and check out your tank sometime? maybe swap some frags once we get these RB (red ba5tards in my book) under control.
-nick

 

[RichConley]

get your acro crabs out. Killing them is just a waste.

Some of us go to great lengths to get ahold of acro crabs. If you were local, I'd come over and fish them out, but you're not.

 

[exoticaquatix]

ok, well, im going to all the effort of selling off my FW fish and setting up an extra tank i might as well get the acro crabs out. all i wanted to know was if it was a sure thing they were going to die by other people experience. im not one to just let things die or put animals in harms way (except for certain parasites) so ill take the time to save them. no worries.
-nick

 

[Dudester]

Lots of good answers and dialogue, thanks everyone.

That's a good point about putting LR into the rescue tank, as long as there's no SPS on it. I have plenty in my sump, so that should fit the bill just fine. Besides, this will give the hermits something to graze on while they're in the holding tank.

 

[exoticaquatix]

its a shame, i finally have a crap load of "mysis" type shrimp all over in my tank and sump and now they are all gonna die. im going to use the live rock trick. is everyone absolutly sure RBs wont get transferred back to the main tank with the LR in a weeks time? i can always wait longer.
-nick

 

[Dudester]

I don't know the answer to your question, but I'm leaving my rock and crabs in a rescue tank for 3 weeks, as I plan to repeat the treatment 3 times at 1 week intervals. I'm sure they won't live that long without food (acros).

 

[exoticaquatix]

hope everyones treatments are going well. i have the "rescue" tank up and running, i pulled some rock with no traces of SPS tissue, some rubble, and most of my crabs (including the acro crabs ) i cant manage to trick my fire shrimp into a trap or net and im getting sick of standing with my arm in the water for 10 min at a time.

any advice guys?

i have 3 or so more crabs yet to be found and the one shrimp that needs to be caught until i can treat the tank. my purple/green valida(?) is covered in these things and i need to nuke them ASAP! thanks
-nick

 

[Dudester]

I couldn't get one of my emerald crabs out of the display - it kept hiding in the rocks when I went after it. So I just treated the tank with Interceptor anyway. At 1 hr into the treatment I saw the crab out in the open and I managed to grab it and place it into the rescue tank. I then put fresh carbon in the rescue tank and initially the crab looked good. 8 hrs later the crab still looked good, and I thought all was well. The next morning, however, I found it on its back in the rescue tank. When I poked it, it moved, which surprised me as I thought it was dead. It didn't seem to have enough strength to turn over, so I pushed it up against some LR and hoped it would right itself. I went to work and thought it would be dead when I got home, but instead it was quite active and healthy. Maybe I had just caught it sleeping?? At any rate, it seemed to survive 1 hr exposure to Interceptor. Interestingly, and sadly, my other emerald crab, that I successfully transferred before adding Interceptor, died in the rescue tank after 2 days. I have no idea why - all of the emerald crabs in there are just fine.

exoticaquatix - I couldn't get my peppermint shrimp out of my tank, either, and it was a casualty of the treatment.

 

[exoticaquatix]

i think i have a peppermint shrimp in there but never see it. i had a pair for 6 months and didnt see them until i tore the tank down to move. the peppermints are $7 but im not risking a $40 shrimp, discount or not. i just got the last hermit out (my favorite one) so one more to go then its Interceptor time. luckily i dont have any emeralds, i do have a coraline eating crab i wouldnt mind killing tho. hopefully your emerald makes it, you sure you didnt get them mixed up?
-nick

 

[Dudester]

Nick, I'm positive, as one was about twice the size of the other. The emerald that was exposed for an hour is still quite alive. (the other remains quite dead)

 

[CalvinC4S]

Too bad you value the life of an animal more because it cost $33 extra.

My advice would be to remove the live rock into a holding tub to access ALL the shrimp; Then return the rock to the tank.

 

[exoticaquatix]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8289851#post8289851 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by exoticaquatix
ok, well, im going to all the effort of selling off my FW fish and setting up an extra tank i might as well get the acro crabs out. all i wanted to know was if it was a sure thing they were going to die by other people experience. im not one to just let things die or put animals in harms way (except for certain parasites) so ill take the time to save them. no worries.
-nick

if i thought that the monstrous task of completely disassembling my entire tank would end in me finding the peppermint shrimp it might be worth it. i do have reason to believe they might not even be alive as I lost a few other fish and shrimp when i left on vacation this summer. i dont aprreciate jabs at my chacter and if your not going to offer input aside from you moral judgement please dont participate in this discussion. this is a hobby where, unfortunatly, things die. its a shame but if you are so against it maybe you should collect stamps, thimbles, or those little spoons with the different states on them. The market value of an animal has nothing to do with their importance, i do agree with that. however, the fact i know the fire shrimp is in there makes it an ideal canidate for recue efforts.
Cripes!
-nick

 

[kirstenk]

Make sure you have some coral skeleton for the acro crabs to hide in. I found out that hermits will kill acro crabs.

 

[Serioussnaps]

get a 5 gallon bucket and put a power head and small heater in it....stick the crabs in there....bang....they will be fine..i kept a cleaner shrimp, 6 hermits, and emerald, and 7 snails in a 5g bucket for about 4 days when i moved and thats how i did it