pendergraft Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I have a red eyed crab in my LR. Must have come as a hitch hiker. My husband and I have seen him before but I think he is growing now. He is about half an inch wide, smooth bodied, browny burgandy in color with bright red eyes. He only comes out at night so a picture would be a laugh. It's those beady red eyes that make me wonder about him, devil crab? Just wondering if I should attempt to take him out? Heard crabs are bad news. But if he is beneficial I could save myself hours of frustration and leave him be. He doesn't seem to be bothering anybody but isn't that what we all say until it kills something? plus I think he is growing. I have 2 clowns and a sixline wrasse. I have looked all over the web and haven't found pictures that look like him. He seems quite smooth bodied, possibly mottled. Any ideas? Surely he isn't the only one of his kind. Link to comment
Boomboy Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 not 100 percent sure but BAD, take him out and banish him to the fuge or where ever you want to banish the little guy. Link to comment
pendergraft Posted January 5, 2009 Author Share Posted January 5, 2009 Any ideas on a fast-ish was to catch the devil eyed crab? Are there traps? Bait? .306? Long tweezers for a fast grab? If I could get him without him seeing me coming........ Hate the thought of ripping my tank apart, rock by rock. But if there is no other way. Has anyone had any successful methods? Link to comment
BKtomodachi Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Any of the above. Trap overnight is probably best. You could try a 1L pop bottle with top half cut off and inverted. Link to comment
glennr1978 Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 me thinks the devil is living in your tank Link to comment
darkdrako Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Does it look like this? I just found him last night while checking out the tank with a flashlight. I think it is part of the xanthidae family. Link to comment
Ignatius14 Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Get a tall shot glass, place it near it's den, and build a live rock "ramp" up to the lip, place some meaty food in the glass and wait...should get him after a day or so...hopefully. Link to comment
Greenstar Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Does it look like this? I just found him last night while checking out the tank with a flashlight. I think it is part of the xanthidae family. I had on of those before, never messed with anything however he definitely knocked quite few things over. Link to comment
Boomboy Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 DEVIL CRAB omgomgomg omgomgomg Link to comment
pendergraft Posted January 5, 2009 Author Share Posted January 5, 2009 OMG!! That's devil crab! Exactly the same thing, but bigger, ours started out like that about a month ago and after close examination last night he is actually an inch wide. Started out very small so I left him alone. He has some mean arse looking pinchers now. Would love to read up on him. I will try and catch him tonight, I have shrimp so I will have to make my live trip w/meat shrimp proof (ha ha). Now we know what he is we should find out about him. I will read up if I can and post my findings. Link to comment
darkdrako Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I am less than a week into my cycle, so I'm just gonna leave him in there. We'll try the "no harm, no foul" game and leave him be. If there is any problem, away he goes! Link to comment
Marteen Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Here is an idea. Put a piece of shrimp or some bait in a net. Lower the net to the bottom of the tank near his hole and repeat this process a couple of times. Eventually he'll associate the net with food and won't think it's there to catch him. When he gets nice and comfy wandering into the net scoop him up. One caught crab. The added benefit is that since he's all full from your bait he won't be picking at your other livestock while you are trapping him. Link to comment
Whisk Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 I have had one for 2 months now and hasnt bothered anything (yet) He comes out only at night, like you said. Here's a link about it, apparently they like snails. http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/cru...iidae/ferox.htm Link to comment
Diatome Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Only thing I know like that is Eriphia smithi Family Menippidae and can be a pain. Link to comment
pendergraft Posted January 5, 2009 Author Share Posted January 5, 2009 I have noticed that my 5 Nassarius snails are now down to 2 snails. Have a feeling him getting bigger is he is finding nice little fat snails to eat. He hasn't touched my Astreas yet. I will try the net thing to catch him. The light shining in his eyes doesn't seem to bother him. I was thinking of taking my son's tumbler and saran wrapping 3/4 of it with a rubber band (shrimp proofing) and resting it against the rockwork with a few brine shrimp pieces in the bottom (garlic on them for extra incentive). Hopefully he will fall into the tumbler and voila! This is my plan, god only knows. If not I will have to get my gun! Link to comment
badbread Posted January 5, 2009 Share Posted January 5, 2009 Looks very similar to the one I found and killed: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...=161320&hl= Link to comment
pendergraft Posted January 6, 2009 Author Share Posted January 6, 2009 Anyone else have any ideas for capture? Or any experience with devil crab? Link to comment
SmittyCoco Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Here you go. Red eyed Devil Second from the left. I had the same crab. He was fine until I started adding corals. Thats when the little B.astard in him came out. Always dragging my zoanthids under rocks. They like to burrow as well. I would say get him outta there. Here this is the best Id site out there. Look up hitch hikers on the left. Hitch hiker guide Link to comment
pendergraft Posted January 6, 2009 Author Share Posted January 6, 2009 Turn out we have two of them! Damn it!! I managed to corner one with tweezers and only managed to get a claw. Who knew they detached? Oops. I have set in a clear small glass with saran wrap over 3/4 of it to keep my cleaner shrimp out of it. Leave it in over night and wait......that is the tough part. I think my husband and I have spooked the one with one claw (oops, we'll call him) I sure hope I can catch the both the little buggers. I put some krill chunks in the bottom of the glass for bait. Time will tell. I have a good SLR camera so I will take some macro shots when I catch him (them!) Grrrrrrr. Link to comment
Splumph Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 If some devil crabs all of a sudden showed up in my tank, i'd probably start some pest crab mini tank. They're just so cool looking. Link to comment
pendergraft Posted January 6, 2009 Author Share Posted January 6, 2009 The one might need sponsorship from the war amps now. Link to comment
pendergraft Posted January 7, 2009 Author Share Posted January 7, 2009 Caught one of them last night and took some good macro shots with my Nikon D300 w/105 macro lens. He is missing a limb as per our attempt the other night with tweezers. Oops! Link to comment
Khayman Posted January 7, 2009 Share Posted January 7, 2009 Nice pictures. I had one and it was fine for a few weeks. I then coght it attacking my Conch so i caught it and "Act of Goded" it. Lol flush. Link to comment
pendergraft Posted January 7, 2009 Author Share Posted January 7, 2009 Nice pictures. I had one and it was fine for a few weeks. I then coght it attacking my Conch so i caught it and "Act of Goded" it. Lol flush. Mine got the flush also. Link to comment
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