Open Brain devours Hermit Crab.

[goldenmean]

Here is one that all of you in the Crabs are Evil Society will love.

So lights have been off on my tank for an hour and a half or so.
Blue lunar lights are on and I am not sleepy so I grab to flashlight to do a bed check on the tank. I notice my red open brain (Trachyphyllia geoffroyi) has closed up but I see a hermit in the middle of the brain and it is closing up on him. So the hand of god (chopstick) comes to rescue this smaller hermit and I flip him over to safety. I check to see that the Brain is okay and I can see the legs of another hermit inside the Brain and the brain has totally engulfed this hermit.
The hand of god does not try to rescue this hermit cuz I do not want to damage the brain. So what is supposed to happen will happen.

Im guessing that the 2 hermits were on the rock above and fell into the middle of the brain. I fed my tank oyster eggs for the first time this evenings so The Brain must have really had his appetite going.

I am not worried about the crab but I am a bit concerned about the brain.
The crab could do damage from the inside. And if the crab does become a midnight snack How will the Brain expell the shell.
Do Open Brains regurgitate?

Eventhough my camera is on its tripod right by my tank I could not get a pic of the second most unfortunate crab. I only saw his little legs for about 30 seconds before the was totally out of sight.
Right now the Brain just looks like he normally does with the lights out.

And who said Snails were STUPID?

 

[kathywithbirds]

Wow, didn't know brains could eat like that. Holy cow!

 

[caitrina]

Holy Crabs, me neither!

 

[caitrina]

What kind of brain is this, wonder if that is why I suddenly have very few hermits.

 

[goldenmean]

Here is an older pic of the Crab eating Red Open Brain
(Trachyphyllia geoffroyi)
In this pic he is in eating mode chowing mysis shrimp.
This is a fairly slow process.

I think this was just a freak meal.
It toook 2 crabs to fall in the brains central mouth area and the 2nd crab prevented the first one from escaping

wonder if that is why I suddenly have very few hermits.

Hermits will disappear into the rock for several days when they molt.
your missing hermits may just show up.

 

[goldenmean]

So I just got home from Brunch and a movie.
The lights have been on for about 5 hours and the brain is open as normal.

I think he is waiting for another crab to drop in.

 

[prow]

i have a pic for ya, its old small and out of focus, i think i even used the flash. but you can still see my brain munching down shell and all. later it spit out the empty shell, it was very clean

 

[caitrina]

later it spit out the empty shell, it was very clean QUOTE]

Noooo????????? You are joking, right? It spit out the shell?

 

[goldenmean]

I woke up early this morning and the Brain was a small as I have ever seen it and the shell was coming out. Later when I got up there was one clean shell right by the brain!

 

[caitrina]

Nahhhhhhhh, I gotta see that..., you are serious, for real????????????

 

[mps9506]

Pretty cool stuff. It's pretty common to see these guys poop out stuff after you feed em.

 

[prow]

lol, yup for real. not sure if the pic i posted was showing it enter or exit. i think it was on its way in, but yup it spit it out. maybe we should target feed them live crabs shell and all, hehe.

 

[brikeibur]

AHHHH, that's crazy!! I was considering possibly getting an open brain one day, they are so pretty, but now I'm having second thoughts.....my hermits are dumb and can be annoying at times, but I have grown to love them all the same.

 

[prow]

i would not worry about that. its not to often this happens. usually its the crab eating the brain.

 

[goldenmean]

AHHHH, that's crazy!! I was considering possibly getting an open brain one day, they are so pretty, but now I'm having second thoughts.....my hermits are dumb and can be annoying at times, but I have grown to love them all the same.

Oh if you want an Open Brain then you should get one.
Mine is the eye grabber of my tank
I think this was a freaky rare occurance and took a series of unfortunate circumstances to happen. I took the 2 hermits together both falling from the rocks above onto the Open Brain.
Rarely to any of my hermits ever climb on to the Brain.

You know I now remeber rescueing an Astrea snail from the Open Brain too. My Astreas often fall and have to be turned over. This one also just happened to fall into the center of the Brain.
Next time I will let the Brain have the escargo.

 

[caitrina]

This is just so wild...lol...Guess it could be considered a "drive through" in the reef world...cept they are the food...fast food?

 

[cheeks69]

This isn't a common occurence and usually the feeder tentacles have to be expanded otherwise the hermit would've easily gotten away. Those feeder tentacles are quite sticky and they can swallow surprisingly large sized foods.

 

[Seasalt Dreams]

I have a clear shot of my brain eating a hermit as well. If the hermits are in the wrong place at the wrong time, it will happen. The same brain I have also seen eating the molts of cleaner shrimp, many times.