Crabby

[spanko]

Anyone know what he is? Should I melt the butter and cut up a lemon?

 

[kismetsh]

The picture isn't showing up for me.

[seahorsejl]

Looks like a gorilla crab to me ... baaaaad.

[spanko]

Any of the pictures of gorilla crabs I have seen have black tips on their claws. This one does not.

[seahorsejl]

Any of the pictures of gorilla crabs I have seen have black tips on their claws. This one does not.

 

Hmm.. could be a variant. I am just leary of crabs these days (fighting with a sally light foot). I am starting to believe the pointy claw theory ... if they have pointy claws, then they most likely a carnivore ... rounded claws, a bit safer.

[spanko]

Yea I think he's gonna get trepped and to the LFS for him. Thank you everyone. If I do find out more about him from the LFS (ha ha big if) I will let you all know what he is.

[Blacktone]

I also heard most hairy crabs are the bad kind. (unconfirmed)

[Noonan]

He has red eyes.. Hes bad.

[One Eyed Bunny]

He has red eyes.. Hes bad.

 

+1.

[Felix1021]

if he's anything like this guy..he's bad news...trust me

i already isolated him

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=117142

 

check the thread

[spanko]

Well tried the bottle trap last night. Caught 2 Nassirius snails and a peppermint shrimp.

This is now crab Jihad, the mother of all crab wars. I will keep you posted.

[seahorsejl]

Well tried the bottle trap last night. Caught 2 Nassirius snails and a peppermint shrimp.

This is now crab Jihad, the mother of all crab wars. I will keep you posted.

 

I feel your pain. I have been trying the bottle/glass trick the past two nights trying to catch my sally lightfoot. All I caught was two hermit crabs

 

Let me know (and I will do the same) if you find any good tricks.

[spanko]

What are you using for bait?

[seahorsejl]

What are you using for bait?

 

Frozen krill and mysid (thawed).

[spanko]

Caught the little bugger. He had an empty astrea snail shell in front of his lair.

Here he is.

 

 

[seahorsejl]

Caught the little bugger. He had an empty astrea snail shell in front of his lair.

Here he is.

 

Ooo.. congrats!

 

So what was the final method of capture?

[spanko]

Shoved my finger into his litte cave. Moved sand into the cave opening so that it was closed off. Then pulled the rock out. He was inside a hole in the rock and I squirted some fresh water in there and out he came. He now resides at the LFS refugium. Got a nice pc. of Gorgonian purple for half price.

[seahorsejl]

Shoved my finger into his litte cave. Moved sand into the cave opening so that it was closed off. Then pulled the rock out. He was inside a hole in the rock and I squirted some fresh water in there and out he came. He now resides at the LFS refugium. Got a nice pc. of Gorgonian purple for half price.

 

Oh sure, take the easy route

 

Glad you found it's hiding spot and were able to catch it. I shall just continue on path of the glass method ... or just give up and hope a coral eats the crab

[beachsidejuj]

so what kind of crab was he?

[spanko]

I was told a mithrax.

[beachsidejuj]

thanks

[Noonan]

So it was just a really big emerald crab?

 

Theres a huge crab in my show tank at work and I have no idea how to get it out. Its a 92 bowfront/corner tank and theres 3 rocks at a total of 130lbs. I think that may be the culprit to the death and disappearance of my naso tang. Left no remains.

[spanko]

No it is not an emerald it is a brown version of a mithrax. Bad guy I was told. The bottle trap did not work the first time for me. However it may have if I had tried it more. he was hanging out in a small rock that I was able to lift out with him in it. Good luck with yours. There are other methods to catch him.

[seahorsejl]

Here is another suggestion I found in the Members Aquariums Area:

 

I just used a big zip lock bag. I turned the opening edge inside-out so that it would stay open. I tied a string to the edge that would be against the sand, and the string went through a hole in the upper edge. So when I pulled the string it would pull the bag up vertical and close it at the same time. Then I rubberbanded some silverside chunks to a small rock and sat it just inside the bag. After about an hour the sally finally decided to go have a bite. I pulled the string and that was that!

 

I found that when I put the baited rock in the back of the bag, it didn't seem quite tempting enough for the crab, but when it was closer to the opening, he just couldn't resist.

 

Might give it a try myself one of these days.

[spanko]

So continuing on with the story, now that bad brown mithrax is gone and I am feeling lucky to have caught him I am looking in my tank last night enjoying the view. When low a behold there on my new Gorgonian sits my emerald crab trying to pick polyps of off it. At first I was shocked and in disbelief thinking he must be picking off detritus or algae. So I got out the trusty magnifying glass to get a closer look. Oh no!!! Sure enough he is trying to pick off the polyps, which are cloing up faster than he can get them thank you. So, with the net and the glass cleaner wand I gently but firmly shove the little b#%#!rd into the net and transport him back to the LFS.

So now the only crabs in my tank are hermits. I am seeing more empty snail shells laying around lately. Mostly Cerith shells. I am now on a quest to find out if it was the original brown crab or maybe the emerald that was enjoying escargo. If I find out it is the hermits they will go the way of the others. They are muce easier to catch though.

To be continued................