New reef: I've got crabs....

amc78cj7 · 01-21-2008, 09:28 PM

.....and I didn't even get to have fun getting them

Just joined and introduced myself in another thread. Set up my first reef this weekend and got some pleasant (and not so pleasant) surprises with the Pukani live rock. They're all exciting to see right now, but some have to go before I add fish or coral.

Current Liverock with "crab-catcher" and stupid Damsel acting as bait in the glass

Bad hitchhikers:
First, I have this hairy gorilla crab tucked away in a cave chewing on some recently dead orange sponge. He is about 2" in diameter. I have placed a glass 12 oz. cup outside his cave with some shrimp in it in hopes to trap him. Stupid Damsel keeps swimming into the cup though. We'll see if he makes it to morning.

Also, the same piece of Pukani came equiped with an anemoni. I saw it before I brought it home and thought I had found him on the rock before placing it in the tank. I dropped concentrated salt water to kill it, but discovered I had instead taken out a shrimp that jumped when the salt hit him (too bad, that would have been a nice addition). Now that the rock is in the tank the anemoni has come out again so I'll have to pick him off before I add corals.

Good hitchhikers:
I also got lots of purple and white coralline algae with my rock and a white tubeworm type creature (I'll have to look him up) that comes out of the tube as red feathers when the lights are on (dead center of this picture).

Also got a free hermit crab that's walking around the sand. And some brown weed looking algae that I am told is good.

Unknown (likely bad) hitchhiker:
A different piece of Pukani came with a bright red hairless crab in one of the caves. About the size of a nickel to quarter with pincers. Based on his pincers I assume he eats corals. He came out on the first day and I haven't seen him since. I have taken out the pukani to look and have turned off the lights for 2 hours then used a flashlight to probe but can't find him anymore. Maybe he'll be trapped in the glass with the Gorilla crab. I was able to find some pics that are similar on the following website Crab Hitch Hikers, but size and name are not included so it's hard to research further. They are listed as "good" crabs though, if there is such a thing. My pincers aren't as big though.

Now for the question: What is the humane way to kill the crabs? I asked the aquarium shop if they wanted them back and they said no.

kathywithbirds · 01-21-2008, 09:47 PM

Hi!

Some knowledgable minds will come along shortly. I'm generally the comic relief.

Q: are you cycling with that damsel?

amc78cj7 · 01-21-2008, 10:04 PM

First, I may have found my red crab on the following website, which lists it as a "good" crab. Crab Hitch Hikers

I won't know until he comes out again assuming he is not dead. Looks like it could be any of the following (names unlisted) but it's hard to tell as the size is not listed. Mine is somewhere between a nickel and a quarter in size. I can tell you that mine is molting as one of his legs and his old back shell were freed from the Pukani when I added it.

The damsel is helping the system to cycle right now. The Bacterboost did a great job over the first 2 days but ammonia is still a little high and It won't hurt to wait a couple weeks before adding anything else.

michael_cb_125 · 01-21-2008, 10:07 PM

Usually hairless crabs are OK.
But I would KILL the Gorilla

amc78cj7 · 01-21-2008, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kathywithbirds

Hi!

Some knowledgable minds will come along shortly. I'm generally the comic relief.

Q: are you cycling with that damsel?

Yes. Bacterboost got water chemistry in line in 2 days from scratch, but I figure the damsel will be a good indicator and help it continue to cycle before I add any other fish or corals.

kathywithbirds · 01-21-2008, 10:15 PM

Please take him out. Using a cooked deli shrimp is much more humane. Ammonia and nitrites are toxic to fish and from the burned fins on fish I've seen, it's gotta hurt.

Throw a cooked deli shrimp in the tank to let it rot. The ammonia it produces will get you on your way to a nice cycle that'll take anywhere from weeks to a month or so. Got test kits?

Good luck with the gorilla. Took me a month or so to get mine... when I finally discovered what was causing problems. A few people here at RS have gotten them with wooden kabob skewers. Maybe the smooth crabs are OK?

ragvette · 01-21-2008, 10:43 PM

Welcome to RS!

If you have a sump I would just throw the crab in there.

Regarding the cycling process, depending on how much live rock (and if it was cured) and if you used live sand, your tank will cycle in a few days. My tank cycled within a few days and I had my first corals in less then a week.

The best way to tell if you have cycled is to do daily water test until everything is within spec.

amc78cj7 · 01-21-2008, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kathywithbirds

Please take him out. Using a cooked deli shrimp is much more humane. Ammonia and nitrites are toxic to fish and from the burned fins on fish I've seen, it's gotta hurt.

Throw a cooked deli shrimp in the tank to let it rot. The ammonia it produces will get you on your way to a nice cycle that'll take anywhere from weeks to a month or so. Got test kits?

Good luck with the gorilla. Took me a month or so to get mine... when I finally discovered what was causing problems. A few people here at RS have gotten them with wooden kabob skewers. Maybe the smooth crabs are OK?

Have no fear Kathy. I took the water to the reef shop today and had them test it before I bought the Damsel. All is well with the water with just 2 days of Bacterboost. There is a shrimp in the "crab-catcher" cup too but hopefully that'll be gone by tomorrow and i'll have captured the villian.

kathywithbirds · 01-21-2008, 11:31 PM

oh, I'm glad!! I'm not a fan of damsels, I have a domino who terrorizes the tank, but I wouldn't want one to hurt

Sounds like you got a bottle of enzymes or bacteria? I got one from my LFS too, I still use the stuff. I will swear that it shortened my cycle but there's a lot of people skeptical of bottled bacteria. Two days is really fast though.

framerguy · 01-21-2008, 11:50 PM

I thought the crab looked like an acro crab, the photo confirmed it. They are quite harmless and beneficial to their host coral.

amc78cj7 · 01-22-2008, 04:48 PM

The little gorilla crab essentially said "F-you" to me this morning.

I awoke to look in the aquarium hoping to see him struggling to get out of the glass "crab-catcher". Instead the little punk had pushed an old molted exoskeleton of himself out to the edge of the cup just outside his cave and had back up to the edge of his cave. As I peered down he gave a quick stare up at me then backed quickly into his cave and out of site.

I think he's just playing with my mind now.

kathywithbirds · 01-22-2008, 05:46 PM

Good luck crab hunting.

lcstorc · 01-22-2008, 05:51 PM

Welcome to RS

Now you know why some people say Crabs are Evil.

amc78cj7 · 01-24-2008, 02:28 AM

Please see this thread for pics and better descriptions of my ever aparent ecosystem.

All my hitch hikers - PICS included for identification

Jeff

rlf_racing · 01-29-2008, 09:28 PM

amc78cj7 I will take that gorilla crab off your hands if you catch it. I live in the chicagoland area. I already have a couple in my 75 gal tank.

01-21-2008, 09:28 PM	#1 (permalink)
amc78cj7 Limpet Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: St. Louis Posts: 148 View Gallery Karma Komment	New reef: I've got crabs.... .....and I didn't even get to have fun getting them Just joined and introduced myself in another thread. Set up my first reef this weekend and got some pleasant (and not so pleasant) surprises with the Pukani live rock. They're all exciting to see right now, but some have to go before I add fish or coral. Current Liverock with "crab-catcher" and stupid Damsel acting as bait in the glass Bad hitchhikers: First, I have this hairy gorilla crab tucked away in a cave chewing on some recently dead orange sponge. He is about 2" in diameter. I have placed a glass 12 oz. cup outside his cave with some shrimp in it in hopes to trap him. Stupid Damsel keeps swimming into the cup though. We'll see if he makes it to morning. Also, the same piece of Pukani came equiped with an anemoni. I saw it before I brought it home and thought I had found him on the rock before placing it in the tank. I dropped concentrated salt water to kill it, but discovered I had instead taken out a shrimp that jumped when the salt hit him (too bad, that would have been a nice addition). Now that the rock is in the tank the anemoni has come out again so I'll have to pick him off before I add corals. Good hitchhikers: I also got lots of purple and white coralline algae with my rock and a white tubeworm type creature (I'll have to look him up) that comes out of the tube as red feathers when the lights are on (dead center of this picture). Also got a free hermit crab that's walking around the sand. And some brown weed looking algae that I am told is good. Unknown (likely bad) hitchhiker: A different piece of Pukani came with a bright red hairless crab in one of the caves. About the size of a nickel to quarter with pincers. Based on his pincers I assume he eats corals. He came out on the first day and I haven't seen him since. I have taken out the pukani to look and have turned off the lights for 2 hours then used a flashlight to probe but can't find him anymore. Maybe he'll be trapped in the glass with the Gorilla crab. I was able to find some pics that are similar on the following website Crab Hitch Hikers, but size and name are not included so it's hard to research further. They are listed as "good" crabs though, if there is such a thing. My pincers aren't as big though. Now for the question: What is the humane way to kill the crabs? I asked the aquarium shop if they wanted them back and they said no. Last edited by amc78cj7 : 01-21-2008 at 10:36 PM.

01-21-2008, 09:47 PM	#2 (permalink)
kathywithbirds Social Darwinism victim Join Date: May 2007 Location: The Hood, NJ Posts: 5,749 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: New reef: I've got crabs.... Hi! Some knowledgable minds will come along shortly. I'm generally the comic relief. Q: are you cycling with that damsel? __________________ (\_/) (\__/) ( . .) (^.^) (")(") (> <) Bunny and Bunnina have worked things out. Bunny was mistaken after all, Bunnina was not having an affair. "Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials." ~Lin Yutang

01-21-2008, 10:04 PM	#3 (permalink)
amc78cj7 Limpet Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: St. Louis Posts: 148 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: New reef: I've got crabs.... First, I may have found my red crab on the following website, which lists it as a "good" crab. Crab Hitch Hikers I won't know until he comes out again assuming he is not dead. Looks like it could be any of the following (names unlisted) but it's hard to tell as the size is not listed. Mine is somewhere between a nickel and a quarter in size. I can tell you that mine is molting as one of his legs and his old back shell were freed from the Pukani when I added it. The damsel is helping the system to cycle right now. The Bacterboost did a great job over the first 2 days but ammonia is still a little high and It won't hurt to wait a couple weeks before adding anything else.

01-21-2008, 10:07 PM	#4 (permalink)
michael_cb_125 Manta Ray Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Charlotte,NC Posts: 3,344 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: New reef: I've got crabs.... Usually hairless crabs are OK. But I would KILL the Gorilla __________________ In the process of taking the 240 down. Setting up an Elos System 70 and Elos Mini.

01-21-2008, 10:15 PM	#6 (permalink)
kathywithbirds Social Darwinism victim Join Date: May 2007 Location: The Hood, NJ Posts: 5,749 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: New reef: I've got crabs.... Please take him out. Using a cooked deli shrimp is much more humane. Ammonia and nitrites are toxic to fish and from the burned fins on fish I've seen, it's gotta hurt. Throw a cooked deli shrimp in the tank to let it rot. The ammonia it produces will get you on your way to a nice cycle that'll take anywhere from weeks to a month or so. Got test kits? Good luck with the gorilla. Took me a month or so to get mine... when I finally discovered what was causing problems. A few people here at RS have gotten them with wooden kabob skewers. Maybe the smooth crabs are OK? __________________ (\_/) (\__/) ( . .) (^.^) (")(") (> <) Bunny and Bunnina have worked things out. Bunny was mistaken after all, Bunnina was not having an affair. "Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials." ~Lin Yutang

01-21-2008, 10:43 PM	#7 (permalink)
ragvette Ricordea Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Lake Villa, IL Posts: 183 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: New reef: I've got crabs.... Welcome to RS! If you have a sump I would just throw the crab in there. Regarding the cycling process, depending on how much live rock (and if it was cured) and if you used live sand, your tank will cycle in a few days. My tank cycled within a few days and I had my first corals in less then a week. The best way to tell if you have cycled is to do daily water test until everything is within spec. __________________ -Rodney My 20gal Nano Chronicle My 65gal Chronicle Reef Store Locator

01-21-2008, 11:31 PM	#9 (permalink)
kathywithbirds Social Darwinism victim Join Date: May 2007 Location: The Hood, NJ Posts: 5,749 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: New reef: I've got crabs.... oh, I'm glad!! I'm not a fan of damsels, I have a domino who terrorizes the tank, but I wouldn't want one to hurt Sounds like you got a bottle of enzymes or bacteria? I got one from my LFS too, I still use the stuff. I will swear that it shortened my cycle but there's a lot of people skeptical of bottled bacteria. Two days is really fast though. __________________ (\_/) (\__/) ( . .) (^.^) (")(") (> <) Bunny and Bunnina have worked things out. Bunny was mistaken after all, Bunnina was not having an affair. "Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials." ~Lin Yutang

01-21-2008, 11:50 PM	#10 (permalink)
framerguy Manta Ray Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Mount Airy, Ga Posts: 3,523 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: New reef: I've got crabs.... I thought the crab looked like an acro crab, the photo confirmed it. They are quite harmless and beneficial to their host coral. __________________ ___________________________________ Greg All time fav quote: "Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy."-Guillaume Apollinaire "Being happy can be as easy as deciding to be!"-Greg Kimsey (framerguy) Still Workin' on it! 375gDT built in wall, Gargantuan DIY Beckett Skimmer, 100g sump, Sequence Hammerhead closed loop, 75 gallon seagrass/mineral mud refugium, 55 gallon crushed coral/live rock refugium, 30 gallon DSB/ cheatomorpha refugium, algae turf scrubber, DIY calcium reactor, DIY kalkwasser mixer, DIY light system w/4x 250MH & 4x54w T5, etc, etc, etc... chronicles-akwareum

01-22-2008, 04:48 PM	#11 (permalink)
amc78cj7 Limpet Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: St. Louis Posts: 148 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: New reef: I've got crabs.... The little gorilla crab essentially said "F-you" to me this morning. I awoke to look in the aquarium hoping to see him struggling to get out of the glass "crab-catcher". Instead the little punk had pushed an old molted exoskeleton of himself out to the edge of the cup just outside his cave and had back up to the edge of his cave. As I peered down he gave a quick stare up at me then backed quickly into his cave and out of site. I think he's just playing with my mind now.

01-22-2008, 05:46 PM	#12 (permalink)
kathywithbirds Social Darwinism victim Join Date: May 2007 Location: The Hood, NJ Posts: 5,749 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: New reef: I've got crabs.... Good luck crab hunting. __________________ (\_/) (\__/) ( . .) (^.^) (")(") (> <) Bunny and Bunnina have worked things out. Bunny was mistaken after all, Bunnina was not having an affair. "Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials." ~Lin Yutang

01-22-2008, 05:51 PM	#13 (permalink)
lcstorc Sunshine Reefer Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Cocoa Fl Posts: 20,008 View Gallery Karma Komment Add yours!	Re: New reef: I've got crabs.... Welcome to RS Now you know why some people say Crabs are Evil. __________________ Peace LYNN You can't change the past but you can change how you view it. A reef tank is like a racecar. The faster you go the harder you crash. Lynn and Franks saltwater adventure Lynn's 20g clown tank Lynn's 90g of sunshine Every 60 seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back. In Loving Memory Of Z 01/22/07 - 08/19/08

01-24-2008, 02:28 AM	#14 (permalink)
amc78cj7 Limpet Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: St. Louis Posts: 148 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: New reef: I've got crabs.... Please see this thread for pics and better descriptions of my ever aparent ecosystem. All my hitch hikers - PICS included for identification Jeff

01-29-2008, 09:28 PM	#15 (permalink)
rlf_racing Tunicate Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 22 View Gallery Karma Komment	Re: New reef: I've got crabs.... amc78cj7 I will take that gorilla crab off your hands if you catch it. I live in the chicagoland area. I already have a couple in my 75 gal tank.

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