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Need bad ass crab or funky invert to alleviate boredom


Orphicdragon

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I have opted to take a break from seahorses until I have the $$$$$$$$ to build the tank I want, so I have decided to get some harlequin shrimp instead. This lead me to the *feeding* issue (yet again, I dunno wtf it is with me and hard to feed ####). Anywho cutting through the crap, I now have 55 gallons of saltwater real estate that I am devoting to culturing asterina stars. (The harlequins will get their own tank when I get them, but that's like 6 months away).

 

So 55 gallons of pod's, various macro's(whatever I just bought from you) and cockroaches asterina's.

 

*YAWN* :mellow:

 

I will probably put a fish in, but not anytime soon, and even then it will probably be just one. Something carnivorous I'm sure MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...etc.

 

I was thinking calico crab. Debated a mantis, but eh they are not terribly exciting either. Had an eel once if he wasn't trying to amputate one of my finger's he was busy finding new and obscure ways kill himself/get out of the tank.

 

LFS told me to get a nautilus or a tang :slap: I don't know why I talk to those people.

 

 

Suggestions oh wise and powerful invert gawd?

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nautilus....:) Speaking of hard to keep stuff I found tons of upside down jellies when I was in the water last night...kind of strange for this time of year, kind of late int heir season. I wish jellies were easier/possible to keep... Well anyway...I think carnivorous crabs are boring as can be. Most are ambush predators, so they will sit in hiding all day until they eat, and then back into hiding they go. I saw this crazy pink colored hitchhiker crab at the LFS today, that is sort of an oddball at least. Still probably boring...Colony of fiddlers? Stone crab? I am not sure the latter is legal to take. I was always told to only take one claw from them, so they are a regenerating catch...(they live in the same places), not sure if that is a law, or just a trick of the trade. It has been awhile since I went for crab claws, law probably changed since that time anyway... Arrow crabs, spiders, (I know some really cool spider crab locations....) If I was going to have a crab tank I would get a giant marine hermit or a long nose decorator.

This guy is the marine hermit:

http://www.athiel.com/lib3/hercrab.gif

 

This guy is the longnose decorator: ( I call them spider decorators though - friend of mine named them that and I just kind of stuck with it)

http://www.sms.si.edu/IRLFieldGuide/Libini_dubia.htmif you are familiar. They are at least out and about, attractive and pretty smart for a crab.

 

Add in a pair of coral banded with an arrow crab and that might be an interesting invert tank. Your stars may end up as food though, not sure about that.

 

Getting away from crabs... How about harder to feed Pipefish? What about porcupine fish? Yeah they will eventually get too big, but the ocean is right around the corner too and I know a guy who takes in fish that are getting too big. Most of those large porcupines/balloon fish go for a pretty penny at the LFS, so donations are easy...Angels are along those lines as well. Let see what else is fun to keep....Sharpnose puffers, some of the non reef safe wrasses...I just had a puddingwife that that was returned. That is a cool fish. Red lizardfish are cool. I am not sure that is their common name, just what I call them. I got one of those that either hitchiked his way in or was hatched, and another one that is in a different tank...Those are all different and exciting.

 

Calicos, mantis, box crabs...all boring to keep IMO. If you want a mantis though, I could at least track down one of the 7 inch ones. Eh...boring.

 

Just some thoughts...

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Lord I'm dumb, forgot to post my response :slap:

 

The spider decorator looks freaky as heck. I dig it. Are they only in the FP area? The only site I found with anything on 'em was the sms site. I wonder what all I could get it to stick on itself...

 

(on a side note I have never seen anyone so excited over a weather tower before. Why do people need to know what the weather is like at sms? The radiation and solar output stuff is kinda cool, but really 4 months of dancing around because you got a weather tower upgrade is just overkill, someone needs to send some strippers over there or something 'cuz those people are obviously sittin' around in their little sub too much)

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I don't think they have visited weather.com or NOAA, so maybe now they will finally know that it will be hot tomorrow? :) I am sure really, but the IRL is about 200 miles or so long, so when they say they can be found in the IRL, that is like saying, "they live in the Keys". I am sure they inhabit a large intercoastal environment. They devour any nuisance algae, they are awesome cleaners, but they can be mean too. My friend had one that would clip off the tentacles of his Condy just to do it. They eat an amazing amount of dictyota...really love that stuff. THey like sticking caulerpa prolifera to their "noses", any caulerpa they like when they aren't eating it. Sponges, just about any macro, seagrass (although the grass will die)...they aren't really that picky. Let me see if I can track down a picture of what they do...it is pretty funny...

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We have spider crabs native in our bays and inlets. GNARLY looking crab. Me and my friends were drinking beers driving the boat and crabbing I pulled one of these up and I thought I pulled satan from the water.

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We have spider crabs native in our bays and inlets. GNARLY looking crab. Me and my friends were drinking beers driving the boat and crabbing I pulled one of these up and I thought I pulled satan from the water.

 

 

:lol:

 

So your saying the caulerpa on his nose wasn't a turn on?

 

 

 

^ OMG :eek:

 

Now I have to have one

 

 

Upside down jellyfish + decorator crab

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That is a different crab, that is an actual spider crab. I just got into the habit of calling longnose's spider crabs, because that is the local name people give them. They walk like spiders and have long legs. They are still pretty cool though. I think the caulerpa on the nose is a mating thing, but I am not sure. You see them in front of other crabs doing displays with them, but I don't have a degree in longnose spiders...could be a territory thing maybe. The upside down jellies were everywhere again today. Cool critter, but from what I hear just like all jellies they are unfortunately difficult/impossible to keep happy. :(

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Upside down are really freakin' cool. Itchy as a mutha too. I can't fathom what it would take to keep them alive long term in a closed system.

 

I was looking to see if anyone had done it and I came across this guy

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/jellyfish/aquarium.php

 

"Keeping Cassiopea jellyfish in captivity is comparatively common and this species is by far the most frequently kept jellyfish species among aquarists"

 

He makes it sound like no big deal :lol: so now I am pondering how one would achieve the upward flow to keep them suspended. It seems the kreisel set-up is the way to go, but wouldn't it have to be pretty massive?

 

 

 

And eh, I like all crabs save the one's that belong to the STD genus. Hermit's work my nerve but that is my own fault for putting them in my display tank. Inverts rock B)

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longspine wont work, the tank is only a 55. longspines get to be the size of volleyballs. ditto with fire urchin. zebra crabs are pretty cool

 

mantis are kind of boring...but they look cool. 50 sexy shrimp would be cool.

 

by the way uwwmatt - your tank looks awesome.

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I was looking at a Debelius but I'm not certain I would have enough rock for it to have a cave. I want to limit the rock so I don't have to rip everything apart to get at the cockroaches. Plus I thought they needed gravel/crushed coral to burrow in?

 

How about a teddy bear crab? They look interesting.

 

Damn John to hell. He has me wanting to see a crab slap a caulerpa pastie on its nose and pole dance.

 

*Edit* what about a shovel nose lobster? I don't know diddly about them.

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Thanks, the cleanup crew is from you.

 

 

 

 

Back on topic, how about a lobster?

 

-oh cool, glad to hear.

 

lobsters are cool. i had a florida spiny lobster hatch in one of my tanks, (2 actually), really cool. I kept them for a couple of weeks then returned them to the sea. (I thought it was a weird shrimp at first, but once it started to grow I realized what it was). Way undersized to be legal, and I was worried I might get in trouble. It isn't illegal for them to accidentally hatch, but who would have believed that right?

 

slipper lobster would be cool. i wonder if that is the name thing as a shovel nose? will have to look into that..

 

they look similar but i dont thing they are the same

 

I was looking at a Debelius but I'm not certain I would have enough rock for it to have a cave. I want to limit the rock so I don't have to rip everything apart to get at the cockroaches. Plus I thought they needed gravel/crushed coral to burrow in?

 

How about a teddy bear crab? They look interesting.

 

Damn John to hell. He has me wanting to see a crab slap a caulerpa pastie on its nose and pole dance.

 

*Edit* what about a shovel nose lobster? I don't know diddly about them.

 

the way the do the pastie suggests they are males trying to show off. i will leave it at that.

 

on a different note, i almost always see the upside down jellies on the sea floor. at least 8 of 10 on the floor. but then again I am in the water a lot at night. If I ever get a jelly tank it will house comb jellies. I have been stung many times trying to get close to them to see their light show. Their sting doesn't hurt much at all though. like a 2 minute ant bite tops.

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you can add a pincushion to this equation....they are pretty cool. They camoflauge themselves, will wear all sorts of stuff, kind of funny.

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comb jellie's are so cool. I'm too chicken s**t to get close though so I will just wait for video footage of your jelly tank :lol:

 

Pincushion is a thought. I have always wanted one but have never had a suitable tank. How in the heck to they wear things o.O

 

Slipper lobster's apparently need a 100g tank :(

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comb jellie's are so cool. I'm too chicken s**t to get close though so I will just wait for video footage of your jelly tank :lol:

 

-their sting is very mild. I checked out the jelliquarium...not going to happen. 15k on a tank, I am not even that nuts. Will be a trip to one of those places yardboy has been way before that. :)

 

Pincushion is a thought. I have always wanted one but have never had a suitable tank. How in the heck to they wear things o.O

 

I forgot the technical name...but they are basically like thousands of little tentacles that are sticky around the spikes, and these tentacles can grab/move things.

 

Slipper lobster's apparently need a 100g tank :(

-yeah, but there are no size limits in FL, and you can always return them to the sea. but probably not a good choice...i was just following up on the shovelnose. have you seen the Fl. spiny lobster at Ocean's Below? Awesome.

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I'm heading down that way next week I will have to check that spiny lobster out.

 

I'm hesitant to throw a lobster back in, we are pretty redneck in this area, I could see one of my neighbors trying to eat it :haha: (oh how I wish that was just a joke).

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:) After you the one at oceans below you will want to eat it. I tried once, he caught me just as my head was going into the bobbing tank.

 

I have been striking out so far on something cool for you, but will keep an eye out. it seems you find everythign when you aren't looking for it.

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We have a pom pom/boxer in the pico. He is a real douchebag. Every time you look at him he throws his little pom poms out and he is forever knocking the ceriths off the wall to get his SnG's. So yeah he is pretty awesome :D

 

Its 55g though. I would need a whole herd of them.

 

 

Don't have a light on that tank that would be sufficient for an anemone :(

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they like being fed. I have heard about the subdued lighting, but you almost always find them in nature in the brightest spots, and hardly ever in shaded areas. Probably just coincidence so they can catch food on all sides, jut mentioning it.

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