Dani3d Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I found it on a frag I bought from a store (repurable store). Is it an emerald crab? it is very small, like nickel size. Should I keep it? Link to comment
Loading Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 I'd say a no on the emerald crab. I wouldn't keep it. Link to comment
joy13 Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Take it back to the store and say they should stop giving away their inventory I am not for sure if it is some kind of matrix crab or not since it seems to have a lot of little hairs. It doesn't have black tips on it's pinchers so it isn't a gorilla crab. Do you have a sump you can put it in or even one of those type of cups that mini maxi anemones come in until you can find out for sure without letting it loose in your tank. Link to comment
kjbreefer Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Agree. not an emerald. Do you have a refugium where you can keep him out of trouble? Link to comment
Renogaw Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 how bout letting us see the claws? are they cupped? Link to comment
Dani3d Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 is that cupped? and sort of greenish legs. I don't have a sump, only a frag tank with as many coral as my main tank. It does not look like a matrix nor a gorilla crab. Here is a crop of the previous photo: how bout letting us see the claws? are they cupped? Link to comment
Loading Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Look up pics on google with emerald crab... their eyes are green yours is red. Only reson why I think its not an emerald also his back looks hairy. Link to comment
Renogaw Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 those pincers are cupped though. this is an odd specimen...i've had very hairy legged mithrax...i can't tell for sure if the back is hairy but it sure looks it. I dunno...there are more mithrax crabs than just emeralds (i've had a red mithrax and purple mithrax), and with those cupped pincers i'd lean towards it being a cousin, but i don't like those eyes. are they red, or brown? Link to comment
Dani3d Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 The eyes are more on the brown side, hard to tell and I don,t have a macro lens. So what should I do with it? keep it or not? I don't have a sump, so not sure where to put it. those pincers are cupped though. this is an odd specimen...i've had very hairy legged mithrax...i can't tell for sure if the back is hairy but it sure looks it. I dunno...there are more mithrax crabs than just emeralds (i've had a red mithrax and purple mithrax), and with those cupped pincers i'd lean towards it being a cousin, but i don't like those eyes. are they red, or brown? Link to comment
uwwmatt Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 It looks to be a type of Mithrax crab (emerald crabs are part of that group). Look at the second picture posted under the mithrax section (different pattern but it does have the hairy parts): http://www.chucksaddiction.com/hitchcrabs.html May eventually cause problems for you. PM johnmahoney from reefcleaners.org I bet he could give you a better ID Link to comment
danthenewreefman Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 believe I read the more hairy they are the more turbulent enviroment they came from. but that doesn't look exactly like an emerald to me, but similar -- probably right and it's same genus. Link to comment
GokesReef Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Hard to tell with all the substrate... pretty closely related, if it's not. Link to comment
Dani3d Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 Looking at that pic of xanthid crab, it could be that as well. I put it in my frag tank and will check each day for what it's eating. If I see any coral dammage he's out and I will have to destroy it. Would hate to do that but I don't have a sump, unless I find someone with a sump willing to accept it. He should be easy enough to capture in my frag tank. Cute little bugger. He has molted during the night in the plastic pot and seem to have grown over night! Hard to tell with all the substrate... pretty closely related, if it's not. Link to comment
Dani3d Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 I saw it eat some hair algae (whole branch) and bryopsis off a rock. Good sign? He definitly likes vegetation. So far I have not seen it eat or attack any coral but I will keep en eye on him. Link to comment
Renogaw Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 I saw it eat some hair algae (whole branch) and bryopsis off a rock. Good sign? He definitly likes vegetation. So far I have not seen it eat or attack any coral but I will keep en eye on him. no matter what their natural diet is, if a crab gets hungry enough, it will eat anything. if you stop having enough algae, feed it some shrimp or something. Link to comment
Dani3d Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 He just ate a bunch of nori. I put some brine shrimp but he did not toutch it. no matter what their natural diet is, if a crab gets hungry enough, it will eat anything. if you stop having enough algae, feed it some shrimp or something. Link to comment
Renogaw Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 He just ate a bunch of nori. I put some brine shrimp but he did not toutch it. meant real shrimp or some nice clam, or fish MMMMM Link to comment
megan Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 believe I read the more hairy they are the more turbulent enviroment they came from. but that doesn't look exactly like an emerald to me, but similar -- probably right and it's same genus. Like Dad was a drunk and Mom was a Hooka? Link to comment
Formula462 Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 meant real shrimp or some nice clam, or fish MMMMM mmmm vomit Link to comment
Dani3d Posted February 22, 2011 Author Share Posted February 22, 2011 in deed, that's what I was thinking it looked like. No offense but I think I will stick to nori mmmm vomit Link to comment
Renogaw Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 in deed, that's what I was thinking it looked like. No offense but I think I will stick to nori oh, you don't know the joys of chopping up seafood for feeding your tank and corals right there's the best stuff you can make Link to comment
shadowninja Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 It looks like an emerald. I've had some that looked like that before. Link to comment
jdl Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 def looks like some type of mithrax crab. they are omnivores so be careful even if you only see it eat algae it will eat meat too. Link to comment
Reef_Addiction Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 That crab looks a lot like my emerald crab, my emerald its everything off the rock and sand, love that guy. Link to comment
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