Question from texasreefer

[texasreefer]

A question about the crabs I found in my Lobophyllia Brain.

THe little critters have established homes in three different spots of the brains lobes. Is there any solution on the market that is pungent enough to drive them out of their burrows without hurting the Lobophyllia?

The lobo looks relatively fine during the day. He is filled enough to look healthy, however, at night it seems that he is reluctant to expose his sweeper tentacles. They come out 'in spots', scattered and fully exposed(about 2 cm).

Crab photos are in Gallery.

 

[Woodstock]

From Texasreefer's gallery...

 

[Woodstock]

That looks like a very healthy coral to me. Trying to remove the crabs may do more harm than good??

Let's get an ID on the crabs first... I will PM Boomer and ask him to reply.

 

[Boomer]

I'm not sure, I can not see the pinchers but I think it is some type of coral spider crab

 

[Woodstock]

Thanks Boomer!

 

[texasreefer]

Thanks for the suggestions, guys.

On the first photo you can barely see the pincher of the claw on the right most side (our right). Also if you look closely you can see the two swimmer fins; commonly seen on blue crab. Much is uncertain of these little guys, so I will be starting a nightly hunt with the tweezers. Any sign of them and Im going after them. I caugt the one in the pictures but put him back on the brain because there is really no other option but killing them.

 

[texasreefer]

I'm pretty sure this crab is parasitic, check out the hole left behind after I pulled out a Crab, and what looks like an egg sac.

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g14/texasreefer/TheHoleleftbehind.jpg

Heres a photo of the Crab in the Hole, then after when it was extracted (keep in mind there are two left).

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g14/texasreefer/CrabandEggSac.jpg

 

[texasreefer]

WoW i didn't know the pics would come out that large. Sorry

 

[Boomer]

Tex. I was wondering about the back legs, hard to see. This means it is a swimming crab. The belong to the family Portinidae. I can not find anything else other than they are really parasites, just take up house there.

 

[texasreefer]

You know when I removed the crabs is when I confrimed (to my self anyway) that they are definitely parasitic. The photo I took of the hole the burrowed is at least an inch deep. This crab has to have 'burrowing' in its common name because, just like a bumble bee digging into wood, there is a perfect circle one inch deep right smack in the middle of my lobophyllia. To make things worse I've already found two other burrows.

In one of the photos above you can see the mass of eggs that I removed, along with the female. She looked totally different, but the thought of millions, or thousands, of tiny brain burrowing crabs in my tank was horrifying.

The crab that I used for ID, all the close ups above, was released back to the brain (Lobophyllia) b/c at first I thought it was a Symbiotic relationship. In that the brain provides a home and the crab provides its janitorial services. Although they do burrow into the brain, they have not nipped at its flesh at all.

Regardless I think I have to agree, All Crabs are Evil!

 

[Boomer]

Yes, I would agree and this;

than they are really parasites

Should have read;

than they are really "not" parasites. I edited it but maybe I forgot to send it