Fluffeh Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 On one of my recent live rock purchases, a crab had hitchhiked its way into my tank. I figured I'd see whether or not he would be a problem before I attempt to remove him, and sure enough, last night i discovered him eating 1/4 of my plate coral. Now I'm trying to figure out a way to catch him without dismantling my entire tank. I purchased one of those Ultralife Xterminator traps and I had it sitting in the tank overnight but I think I had the sensitivity too high and it closed for some reason. I noticed the crab was very interested in the trap, as I had a single peice of krill sitting in it. However, he has not yet been fooled. My issue is keeping the krill in the back of the trap as it keeps wanting to float toward the entrance. I'm not sure how else to go about this so I'm desperately looking for tips before I lose more of my coral he is a very fast crab!! If you have any suggestions or advice for myself please let me know. I really do not want to take apart all of my rock to catch this guy. thank you Link to comment
tibbsy07 Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Could you put some krill/etc in a small mesh net? Set the net with krill in it in the tank and wait. When the crab climbs in, lift the net quickly? Link to comment
ndrobey Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Use a bottle trap. There are instructions somewhere on this site. Link to comment
Fluffeh Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 Could you put some krill/etc in a small mesh net? Set the net with krill in it in the tank and wait. When the crab climbs in, lift the net quickly? I wish it could be this easy, but so far the crab really hasn't shown much interest in getting to the krill at all. Link to comment
Gooburz Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Reach in and grab the little sob Link to comment
Fluffeh Posted February 26, 2015 Author Share Posted February 26, 2015 Reach in and grab the little sob tried my best, but he's so fast and can squeeze into the smallest crevices in my rock. Link to comment
tibbsy07 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Try something else. Shrimp from the market, anything fish/meaty Link to comment
Psychosis Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 Simple option, grab a rubberband, a little chunk of liverock, and some bait, then drop that in to the trap. It won't float, the crab will crawl in to retrieve it, boom bam. Then again, I'm not familiar with that trap,but I don't see why that wouldn't work. Link to comment
Benny314 Posted February 26, 2015 Share Posted February 26, 2015 As well as the bottle trap method you could try the old faithful glass resting against your live rock with bait in the bottom. You may trap all your hermit crabs first, but eventually the bugger will drop in there after the food and then won't be able to climb back out. This sort of trap is great as you can drop it in last thing at night and forget about it till morning and the worst that can happen is you have all your hermit crabs sat in it lol. Link to comment
Fluffeh Posted February 27, 2015 Author Share Posted February 27, 2015 i spent about an hour tonight trying to catch the crab, no luck he won't go near the xterminator trap, he's not interested in the bottle, and there's no way he's coming out for the net. am i really going to have to dismantle my entire rockscape to catch this guy?! Link to comment
Benny314 Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Depends how quick you want him out, while your trying to catch him you'll never manage it. Like when you loose something, you never find it till weeks later when your not looking. Go with the bottle trap or glass against the rocks trick and leave the trap over night once set, don't keep going up to the tank, just leave it. Other wise if you can't wait him out, you'll be looking at a strip down. Link to comment
Fluffeh Posted February 27, 2015 Author Share Posted February 27, 2015 what other foods would u recommend me trying as bait? krill and mysis just isnt doing it. Link to comment
Markburns43 Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Like said before I nice piece of shrimp, not the cheap kind in the crappy platters I'm talking the big boy shrimps =) hell you might find me in there eating it before your crab. Link to comment
Benny314 Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Yeah sorry, the bigger and juicier the better, and don't worry to much about leaving it a day or 2 in the tank. The ripper it gets the more likely it is to attract the crab. Link to comment
Halo_003 Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Shot glass leaning against rock, shrimp inside. Should take more than a night for you to catch him. Maybe a bigger glass depending on the size of the crab. Link to comment
ajmckay Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 Haha all I could think of when I clicked this thread title was "Why would someone want to catch crabs?!?!" HAhaha !!!! Anyways, this topic has some good advice as far as my experiences go. I also hate taking my scape apart, but if you can pinpoint the rock it's hiding in then you could probably just carefully remove that single rock and then just stick it in a bucket for a few days with your trap and I'm sure you'll be successful. If the rock it's hiding in is on the bottom then that sucks though... Also, when are you going in to try to catch him? IME the best time to go in to catch stuff is at night 1-3 hours after lights out. If you can use a red light to see, inverts don't see red light very well but that should be plenty of light for you to find it. If a net isn't working a small spear of some sort that may not be a horrible idea... If it comes out you may only have a small window of opportunity. Alternatively you could take a clear plastic bottle with an open bottom and attach it to a stick and then come from above and try to trap it a-la glass over a spider then you slip something underneath and take it out. Link to comment
jamescstein Posted February 27, 2015 Share Posted February 27, 2015 You could also try hand feeding it for a few days. See if you can draw it further from the rock. Link to comment
amphipod Posted February 28, 2015 Share Posted February 28, 2015 I know crabs learn quickly, also they can be great pets in COWLR Crabs Only With Live Rock. I don't trust them in the main tank, I have like 4 in the COWLR tank lol. COWLR tank doesn't necessarily need a filter, nor anything special but occasionally a water change and crab food. Either way I wouldn't kill him but I can't stop you from killing him. Best way to catch a crab is patience and bait, like it has been said many aquatic animals can't see red but crabs often don't use their eyes to navigate, they have an amazing ability to detect movement in the water, he can literally feel your presence. When he's out and about he will usually try to stay within brief walking distance of a good hiding spot. If you take something he really likes, you need to figure what he wants to eat and put it at the farthest corner of the tank from the normal live rock and put a different really crevice covered rock in that corner. Get him eating near there. Then when he's really close to this "safe" crevice filled rock you go with both hands, wall him in to make him enter the rock and pull him and the rock out then in a separate container when he leaves the rock banish him forever to the COWLR setup. Or you could just do as ajmck said and pull the rock he already hides in and wait him out. Link to comment
Fluffeh Posted March 1, 2015 Author Share Posted March 1, 2015 Okay I am trying really hard to get this crab tonight... i have a total of 4 traps in the tank surrounding his favorite hiding spot. i have (1) bottle trap sitting on the floor with fresh kirll inside, I have (1) Xterminator trap with krill also inside, I have (1) glass jar sitting next to a rock with krill inside.... if this doesn't do it then i give up!!! Link to comment
ajmckay Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 'bout a 1/4 cup of bleach ought to do it... Link to comment
amphipod Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 'bout a 1/4 cup of bleach ought to do it... of you want to chemically roast the crab mix really salty water, then put toilet bowl cleaner in the salty water, mix well. Then get other salty water and mix bleach when crabby is on the loose dribble some toilet bowl cleaner so it lands on him, then the bleach on him, chlorinated crab. Just kidding that was a troll post don't ever do that, mixing bleach with ammonia, hydrochloric acid, peroxide and other things can easily harm you! Crabby probably thinks krill tastes nasty Link to comment
Fluffeh Posted March 1, 2015 Author Share Posted March 1, 2015 I GOT HIM!!!! woke up this morning and inside of the Xterminator trap he is desperately trying to get out! YES@!!!! Link to comment
amphipod Posted March 1, 2015 Share Posted March 1, 2015 I GOT HIM!!!! woke up this morning and inside of the Xterminator trap he is desperately trying to get out! YES@!!!! you gonna do a COWLR? Link to comment
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