Creater ID

[Coral Works]

I have a peace of Orange Tubastrea coral (baseball size) with a small hole about the size of a large pea. I have had this peace for about 6 weeks and just noticed today that there is a small criter living inside of it (first time it ever showed itself).
Proplem is it does not come out completely or enough for me to be able to give a good description. All I know for sure is it has four legs very much like a crab, I have not seen a claw or any other appendage on it as of yet. My question is, are there any known simbionts with this type of coral and if there is what are they and is it save to leave it alone? OK so theres three questions not one.
So far I have not lost anything in the tank unexplicably.
I appreciate any and all hints as to what this may be. Thanks in advance to all.

 

[Coral Works]

Forgot ot mention that the colour of the creature is a tan colour and that the coral is doing fine, open lots eating well.

again thanks

 

[geofloors]

could be a barnacle, I have had in the past barnacles attached to corals, if it is a barnacle none of those I had lasted long.
Does it look like a hand sweeping across the water for food and then retracting and doing it again.

[ June 10, 2001: Message edited by: geofloors ]

 

[Coral Works]

From the amount of the creature that I can see so far it looks almost spider like, however I still cant see enough of it to give much more information unfortunately.
I am going to watch for awhile tonight when the lights decrease and go out to see if I can get a better look at it.
Who knows what else I'll see in there tonight, last night I saw a very small baby snail in the tank. Ever since I set up this 400g tank with gravity drain refugium and two large surge tanks with the increased lighting I have seen more life matterialize in 1 month than I have in the three years that I had been keeping the same livestock in the 75g previuosly.

 

[Coral Works]

its official, it is a CRAB, tan light brown in colour about the size of a nickle with arms almost the same size as its body and small dark pincers. I cant find a picture of it anywhere to ID it so still dont know what kind of crab. I do know that it is taking food from my tubastrea coral not that that seems to bother the coral much because It is still gettin lots of food so I will leave MR. CRAB alone for now.

 

[MedicineMan1]

While I haven't a clue as to whether this is the same kind of crab (there's literally THOUSANDS of species), I had one that fit that description that ate xenia colonies as fast as I could put them in (not that it mattered, all my xenia has slowly died anyway!). He became trigger food.

 

[ophiuroid]

Sounds cool...
Does it actually come out of the hole? There are coral hermit crabs that live in holes in corals. Here is a link to a nice photo: http://www.divegallery.com/coralcrabs.htm

Otherwise there are many crabs that are associated with corals and hide in the tentacles, so a picture would help!

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