id my hitchhiker crap please

[kalristo]

found this guy in my tank dont know if its good or bad sorry if its in the wrong place

 

[TotalVapor]

looks like emerald crab, they pick stuff off the rocks and eat bubble algae. If they get big and turn red or dark brown you need to remove from tank.

 

[kalristo]

emerald crab? ehh... maybe i was thinking it looked like the mithrax crab on http://www.chucksaddiction.com/hitchcrabs.html


it has a banded arm that kinda gets me suspicious

 

[TotalVapor]

hard to tell from the pictures posted here, but anything is possible. Do you have a clearer pictures?

 

[kalristo]

yeah i can get a higher quality photo posted soon. but in the mean time ive quarantined him i doubt hes reef safe though.

 

[returnofsid]

Doesn't look anything like an Emerald Crab to me, but a better picture will sure help.

 

[mfinn]

Chances are it will turn into a coral eater.

 

[reef18ster]

Doesn't look like an emerald to me either, but your title for this thread made my eyes widen up when I first read it. +1 on saying bye-bye to it.

 

[BCT182]

I'd say the crap is probably from the crab. He must have eaten something prior to you putting him in that cup. I hear crabs have a fast moving digestive track, which is what leads me to this conclusion.

 

[vinny2261]

Looks like a rock crab that come in live rock very very tiny and grow to get quite big. Move around rock three times thier size and will eat what ever it can catch. Catches alot of things! Notice the very pointed pincher. Tearing, ripping, poking and digging.

 

[vinny2261]

Puffer food.

 

[Shane and John]

I would Ditch the crab altogether...Crabs are evil creatures when it comes to corals!!

 

[kalristo]

last night i actually found another crab clinging onto a rock. so i decided to grab him. guess i grabbed him too hard because i ripped him in two oops. either way ill probably flush these crabs down the toilet..

what do you guys think about green emeralds though?

 

[returnofsid]

Emerald Crabs are one of the very few that I'd consider "reef safe," and actually beneficial.

 

[kalristo]

I'd say the crap is probably from the crab. He must have eaten something prior to you putting him in that cup. I hear crabs have a fast moving digestive track, which is what leads me to this conclusion.

LOL i meant to type crab not crap.

 

[lizardarm]

I'm thinking mythrax also. If you look at the ends of it claws, they should look like little "scoopers" on the inside part; they use it for scraping the rock clean. I've had some that seemed (were) harmless for a long time, then they hit a certain size (in my case, always much bigger than that guy) and start displaying what can only be described as predatory ambush tactics.