Crab ID Please

Choff

Choff

Well-Known Member
Found this guy in my tank today. Any idea what it is? Besides not going back in my tank?

I ordered pods from GetYourPods about a year ago and after I was about halfway through dumping them in I noticed a tiny tiny little crab in with them. I pulled out 3 or 4 from the remaining bags, but no clue how many made it in. I'm guessing at least 2 more in there based on the piles of snail shells.

 
Choff

Choff

Well-Known Member
Thanks Frisbee, but still unable to pin it down. I'm trying to figure out if this guy is responsible for some SPS death. I had an salad plate sized chalice that was doing awesome in my tank for a couple of years then suddenly it started losing flesh a few months ago. Today I decided to break off the dead plate portion and try to remove what as left and dip it. When I did, I discovered a little cave underneath and mr crab hanging out in it. Made it real easy to catch him. I lost 2 other corals in the immediate vicinity, forest fire digi and red hot setosa, that were also doing extremely well. I didn't think anything of it, but those were my only losses in my tank in ages and all in the same corner within the last few months. Might be a coincidence, might be the crab, might be something else.

Oxylebius any thoughts?
 
Oxylebius

Oxylebius

Well-Known Member
Hey Mike @Choff good to see you on the forum again. I can't say for sure that this crab is the culprit for the demise of your corals. If you hadn't changed anything in your tank (lights, flow, chemicals, etc.) that you can point to as possibly disturbing these few corals in this one area of the tank, then I'd look very closely for pests. Agree w/ @frisbee as it looks to be of the xanthidae family, but identification beyond that can be difficult, especially with little crabs. As you already know almost all crabs are opportunistic omnivores and will eat just about anything that they find or can catch (including other inverts and fish), cut corals? A quick search did lead me to info that some xanthids may be inclined to take chunks of coral and eat it. As chalices are fleshy, this might be what is happening. Or might not - innocent until proven guilty. But, since it is a xanthid, pulling it out would be what I'd do.
 
Choff

Choff

Well-Known Member
Thanks Oxy!

I'm almost certain the crab isn't to blame, but it makes me feel better thinking it is. It couldn't possibly have to do with my superior reef keeping skills.

It helps me sleep at night any way....

Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk
 
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