Hitchhiker ID - shrimp or crab? Good or bad?

[teenyreef]

I found this guy hiding in my shipment of new live rock. I got the best picture I could without actually pulling him out. His body looks like it's about as big around as my pinky finger. Can anyone ID this guy?

 

Either way he looked way too mean and nasty to go in my tank so he's hanging out in his piece of the rock in a bucket with a heater and a power head for now.

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

[aquariumlover10]

Try and getting him out by putting some food near the cave then snatch the rock out.

[teenyreef]

I'll see if I can get him to come out and pose for a better picture.

 

But it's just a little piece of rock and it doesn't have to go in the tank. I'm just wondering what he is and to confirm that he should not go in the tank. I mean, I know he shouldn't go in the tank, it's just an 10g tank and he looks like he'd eat everything that moves in there...

He's almost certainly scheduled for termination unless someone tells me he's the ultra rare Scintillating Rainbow Oatmeal Mantis Shrimp or something.

[itzju]

[teenyreef]

Yes! That's the one I'm hoping for!

[ndrobey]

Definitely a crab. Dark, pointy claws like this mean it is a meat eater, and will eat everything, dead or alive, in the tank.

[aquariumlover10]

If you don't care about it or rock get a botyle of peroxide or carbonated water, pull a full medicine syringe of it and flush the hole with it and he will come out.

[Pinner Reef]

Dunno, the claw appears blunted to me... still wouldn't trust it

[aquariumlover10]

Maybe this can help. http://emeralddiving.com/id_crabs.html

[teenyreef]

He didn't survive the day in the bucket - too much ammonia buildup while I was at work. I was able to pull him and another dead one out of the rock. It's funny how much smaller these creatures are once they come out of their holes. These two are a little more than an inch across from the end of one leg to another.

 

Maybe this can help. http://emeralddiving.com/id_crabs.html

Thanks for the reference! I've bookmarked the page, but none of the descriptions seems like a clear match for these guys.

[aquariumlover10]

Good-ish crab, mithrax crab, well its the closest to anything I can find but I'm pretty sure they were.

[teenyreef]

Yep, I agree, that's what it looks like. I've always thought of them in their Emerald Crab variation, and never knew there was a Ruby version. Who knows, there might still be some hiding in the rock that made it into the new tank. I'm trying to do a soft cycle so there's a chance that there might be more survivors in there.

[aquariumlover10]

Yeah, I at first thought it was a red emerald but I remember the mithrax looked like them.Maybe trying and adding some prime, so the ammonia and such is not toxic, just add whatyou need for tank every 48 hours.

 

Are those eggs in the tub?

[teenyreef]

Yes, those were eggs. They came out into the water when I placed on of the crabs in the dish.

 

I'm doing daily 50% water changes for the first few days, along with prime. Fingers crossed!

[aquariumlover10]

Ohoh, save the eggs, they may be crab eggs get a breeder net and place a light air stone it it so eggs are rocking side to side but not floating or moving aton.

[lakshwadeep]

They look like Mithrax crabs, so good, I think.

[teenyreef]

Unfortunately when I disposed of the dead crabs I was in full cleanup mode and I never thought to save the eggs

 

Still waiting to see if there are any more hiding in the rocks in the display tank.

[aquariumlover10]

Oh ok, man that would've been cool.

Their will probaly be some types of crabs in their, is this rock from TBS or gulfliverock.com?

[teenyreef]

It's from KP Aquatics. Nice stuff.

[aquariumlover10]

Is it gulf rock?

[teenyreef]

They call it Miami Oolite and aquaculture it in the Florida Keys.

[aquariumlover10]

Oh ok, if you like florida rock try some from here www.tbsaltwater.com