predator crab

[mfinn]

I think I found the reason I lost a healthy looking superman rhodactis and a ricordea recently.
I haven't added any rock to this tank for 3-4 years, so I suspected a peppermint shrimp was the pos that made off with something really special.
The crab must have been really tiny when I added it to the tank with whatever piece of coral.
I found this shell right down in front.
Now to catch him before he strikes again.

 

[spongebob lover]

wwouu dood, not only it looks very hairy but kind of creepy, good luck catching it .

 

[Krish]

I've never seen anything like that before man...That does look creepy!

 

[SaltyTemple]

how big is that!

 

[mfinn]

It's only 1-1/2" across the shell.
Somebody here said "crabs are evil". I agree.

 

[fishcrazee]

creepy little buggar, and that's not even the living part of him! I can just see him coming out at night to pick apart your corals! He is sort of cool in a unique sort of way, maybe you could put him in your sump if you catch him?

 

[mfinn]

creepy little buggar, and that's not even the living part of him! I can just see him coming out at night to pick apart your corals! He is sort of cool in a unique sort of way, maybe you could put him in your sump if you catch him?

If it had eaten this in your tank two weeks after paying about $45 for the coral, would you put it in your sump?
Then what would you do with it?

 

[SaltyTemple]

EVIL CRABBIE PATTIE!!!

 

[MikeS]

Yeah, when it comes to hitchhiker crabs, IMO it's always best to error on the side of caution and evict them. The problem can be finding and than catching them. I've had success with the plastic coke bottle trap in the past, (works very well for peppermint shrimp as well), but it doesn't always work. A good idea is to try to find out where it is hiding out. In order to do this, you'll usually have to try to catch a glimpse of it at night. I've found the best way to do this is to wait until several hours after dark (including the room the tank is in) and use a red LED light to try to spot him...

If you can't catch him, but can find out where he is living in the LR...you can cook him with a turkey baster full of boiling RO water...I've had to do this several times in the past.

MikeS

 

[mfinn]

I didn't even have a clue it was there. I thought the pepermint shrimp that I put in the tank had gone coral eaters.
This is the first empty shell I've found in the tank.
I'm going to try a small baby food jar with a raw piece of shrimp in the bottom tipped at a 45 degree angle for a couple nights.
Need to find a cheap red LED flashlight somewhere.
If I do catch him, can you say frozen crab???

 

[fishcrazee]

Well, he's just doing what he was made to do, he's not evil, he just happens to be in a place that doesn't appreciate his special niche in the web of life Put him in your sump and find a good home for him in a FOWLR tank, somebody will always take something for free. If I lived closer, I'd take him and put him in my fuge

 

[spongebob lover]

ohh boy that crab looks like its about to eat you .
i can't say pretty crab... but i think hairy sounds decent .

 

[mfinn]

Caught em

 

[kcharm]

If he's still alive, I was thinking of setting up a 1 gallon pico on my desk for a mantis but that thing would be way cooler...assuming I can find him an affordable food source other then corals.

 

[mfinn]

I think a mantis would be way cooler than this guy. It would eat anything meaty you give it.
I don't think you would ever see it. They like to stay hidden and usually only forage at night.
Also, this is a macro shot. It's only about 1-1/2" across the shell.

 

[MikeS]

Excellent...how did you end up catching that hairy little monster?

MikeS

 

[mfinn]

I used a small wide mouth jar with a piece of shrimp in the bottom.
I had the jar tipped on a 45 degree angle against a rock. Crab smells the food, crawls in, but the glass is too smooth to climb out.

 

[MikeS]

good job...congrats on evicting him from your tank!

MikeS

 

[spongebob lover]

well you did a good job on catching it... now you should give it to the guy that wants to start a pest tank .

 

[mfinn]

well you did a good job on catching it... now you should give it to the guy that wants to start a pest tank .

If I had the address, I'd put it in a envelope and drop it in the mail.