Killer Crab!

[IcantTHINKofONE]

I just saw this guy come out of a cave in some live rock and snatch a snail and pull it out of its shell and eat it. I caught it and put it in this plastic cup to take a pic...What is it??? It has 4 furry legs on each side and 2 olive claws.

 

[jeffsdesigns]

Flush him.....
He is a real bad one.

If ya don't and he gets bigger.
He'll catch your fish and eat them too.

I was told ALL Hairy ones are very bad.

I learned from experience a few years ago.

Flush him.

 

[IcantTHINKofONE]

Is it a spider crab?

 

[DEADFISH1]

a bit fuzzy, but that looks a lot like an Emerald Crab, are you sure the snail was alive?

 

[Anonymous]

a bit fuzzy, but that looks a lot like an Emerald Crab,

I'm with Deadfish here. Looks like an Emerald. Harmless IMHO.

Louey

 

[jgagel]

I concur with the previous two statements. It is an Emerald crab or Mithrax crab. It eats bubble algae and other algaes. As for what you saw, I have had them in my tanks for years and never ever saw one of them pick on any of my snails.

 

[danmhippo]

I don't know which one you have, but I'd suggest you give it away to your LFS. Let someone else figure out if it's a baddie.

 

[IcantTHINKofONE]

dan, I put it in my sump/refugium. There are only 5 turbo snails in it so I will be able to tell if the crab is killing them off.

 

[Bryan Thompson]

Hold the phone here kids. I have several emerald looking crabs that are killers and not emerald's. Here is how you tell. Look at the tip if the claws. If they are sharp points, KILL IT NOW!!! If it has flat pads on the end, throw it back into the tank. When I remodeled my tank I found 5 emeralds hiding in holes in the rock. 4 were not emeralds!! They were killers.

 

[wade1]

I have 2 of these in my main tank, one is now reaching 4" in width. It makes a habit of eating my snails and piling the shells near its holes. I have yet to catch the bugger. I say take it to the LFS and let them feed it to any octos or triggers.

Wade

 

[Anonymous]

Look what I found in my tank. I think this guy is responsible for mauling a couple of chromies.

 

[Anonymous]

And another shot of him after I caught him using the old "glass against the rock he lives in" method that I learned right here at RDO!

 

[Anonymous]

IthinkIcan. Is that what you had?

Ok, now he is in the glass dish. What should I do with him!

 

[reefNewbie]

crab legs anyone?

 

[wade1]

Picture of mine after tearing out half the tank to catch it:

Wade

 

[Tanger]

I too have a big crab lurking in the rock and can't get him out. Mine likes to smash the poor little hermits against the rocks until they submit. No luck with the glass trick yet. Hope I don't have to tear the tank down like Wade did....

 

[LilBugger225]

Did you by chance get your live rock from florida? If so that is a rock crab and they are pure evil. I had one that caught and ate my yellow tang.

HTH

LB 8)