Crab unidentified

[coral_diver]

I cant get a pic he is to small...but he is white like the sand with sorta clear legs and is only about the size of the tip of my pinkie. I need help on is he ok I dont know how else to describe him...

[MikeS]

sorry....this thread missed my attention...

There are literally hundreds of different species of hitchhiker crabs that find their way into our tanks on LR....even with a picture, making a positive ID is very difficult, even for the pros, as sometimes there are very few physical differences between specimens of many different species.

My approach to hitchiker crabs is simple...remove them whenever you find one. Many of them are predators, I've had them pick at and eat my yellow ployps, mushrooms, I even had one devour a colt coral...and since making a positive ID is so difficult, I err on the side of caution and assume they are all bad news.

Mike

[Angelscrx]

I read somewhere that the clear little crab you may be talking about eats corals and can tend to get inside soft corals. I tend to agree with the folks on this site they are a wealth of knowledge that hve helped me out on more than one occasion. When in doubt, take it out!

[nbaker]

Check this thread has some good links on hitckhikers.

[specsgirl]

But how do you catch them? Any suggestions?

[MikeS]

you can try a simple homemade trap like this....

http://www.coralforum.com/ftopic876.html

If that does not work, more drastic measures may need to be taken... :badgrin: If you can get it cornered in the LR, you can "cook" him with boiling water and a turkey baster... :badgrin: :D

That how I got rid of the last one I found in my tank....


Mike

[chode]

i had a little clear crab like that to. ther was nothing in my tank it could hurt so i left him in there. but he got sucked up into a powerhead so i dont need to worry about him when i do get corals.

[specsgirl]

Hmmm....I'll have to try that...I have a few, they don't seem to bother anything, but they do go nuts on the coralline algae that forms :( Turkey baster and boiling water huh? I wonder how many of those little legs would be required for a meal :shock: :-D

[Angelscrx]

The hot water and turkey baster will kill anything on the rock too so don't go near corals and stuff. Will kill feather dusters, coralline algae, snails, hermits, tube worms, and anything that gets too close when basting the rock. Just a something to think about.

[vanadium]

you could try fishing for him when the lights go out and if you know where he is at......get some cotton attach a piece of mussle and dangle it once he gets hold of it lift slowly and get a net under him.