Help....Found this guy in my tank couple days ago.

[BitOrder]

I don't know if he is good or bad but he has been in my tank for a while. I have not added ANYTHING in the past year, which means, this bugger has been ducking me for months!!
Can anyone identify this crab, he's big (well about 2") and a face only a mother could love.

http://66.65.40.233/ugly.jpg

Anyone with ideas of what kinda crab he is please let me know.

Thank you

 

[Anonymous]

Isn' that the forest hills stalker?

He he he

Just kidding.

Your picture is not clear. Please try again.

 

[davelin315]

Looks somewhat like a mithrax crab, but again, picture not that clear.

 

[Mouse]

If its claws are bigger than its head your in trouble, and that crab looks trouble to me. Evict him.

 

[SteveP]

Doesn't look like a mixthrax to me. Damn scary looking! I'd move him out.

Steve
8{I

 

[BitOrder]

I will attempt extraction tonight....

I'll see if I can get a better pic too


thanks

 

[Henry1]

I don't know it identity, however, it appear to be a common inhabitant in live rocks.
I do have several similar ones in my rocks. They have hairy legs and make their appearance when the lights are out.
No observable damage done by them so far. Matter of fact, I believe they did a good job scavenging uneaten food.

BTW, I have digitally corrected your picture exposure and mailed to you. You may want to post it again.

Happy reefing

 

[Ryan22]

I'd get rid of him if I were you. I had a little crab that I found in my tank after I had a few fish literaly disapear. They were both out swimming around and eating great and then one morning they were just gone, no trace. The first time I just passed it off as a fluke, but a few weeks later it happen again. I had a theory that they were jumping out and my cats might have been eating them, but then the little bugger came out from under a piece of live rock and introduced himself to me. I evicted him and have since introduced a Jawfish. I figured that if the others were jumping this guy would definatly follow them, but it is still in the tank happy and eating like a pig. It has actually desided that it's new home is under the same rock where the crab lived. The Crab now lives in my sump.

FWIW
Ryan

[ January 10, 2002: Message edited by: Ryan22 ]</p>

 

[Emmitt]

Agreed it certainly looks scary! Long term probably not a good resident. Can't help any more than that, tho. Looks like a cross between a crab and a snapping turtle.

Maybe if you post a bigger pic...

[ January 10, 2002: Message edited by: Emmitt ]</p>

 

[SPC]

You all have got to be kidding, where did you see a crab in that picture?

I think it was a picture from the Hubble Telescope.

Steve

 

[BitOrder]

Well, being that the room and the fishtank have to be PITCH BLACK for him to rear his ugly head, I think the flash on my Nikon 995 did rather well shooting through a foot of water!

However, it is a bad pic, but the conditions are far from optimal...

 

[BitOrder]

I will try to get a better pic tonight...

 

[arnjer]

[ January 10, 2002: Message edited by: arnjer ]</p>

 

[BitOrder]

OK, some people, here saw my terrible picture and jazzed it up alot!! Now I think you can actually make out this beast.


http://66.65.40.233/stillugly.jpg

http://66.65.40.233/stillugly2.jpg

Thank you Cindy, Henry for your help in making this picture viewable.

 

[tazdevil]

I wouls agree with your titles for those pics, each time he just gets uglier and uglier. But, this one is probably not an innocent crab. Time for a species tank, and in a year or two, invite some of us over for some butter dipped crab legs with some nice red wine (a petit syrah, maybe?).

[ January 10, 2002: Message edited by: tazdevil ]</p>

 

[Bodine]

Many hitch-hiking crabs wil eventually cause problems. If for no other reason than the avalanches they can cause and turning over any unsecured small pieces. I would move him out.

Post that picture here so I dont have to open a link.

[ January 10, 2002: Message edited by: Bodine ]</p>

 

[cindywennin]

Hey Bodine...I was going to post it after I played with it a bit but couldn't figure out how to post it...teach me

BitOrder...your welcome!

Cindy

 

[mark h]

i have an unidentified crab in my tank that looks very similar to the one in your tank(at least what i can see in the picture) i think the crab in my tank is different species of mithrax crab or maybe a color variation of the same species. it has harry legs and and the top of his shell has bumps. here is a link to a crab that looks just like mine except mine is very dark, and not green. all it does is eat algae and is very shy. has not bothered any fish or corals in the 1.5 years he has been in the tank so i left him in the tank.

www.premiumaquatics.com/merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=PA&Product_Code=L-EMERALD&Category_code=Crabs

 

[HARRISON]

If you can get it out get some better shots before you just kill it. You never know it might be good to have. I hate to see it just get thrown out...

 

[Anonymous]

I have had TWO of these crabs- both hitchhiked on LR. Your pic looks like an exact match. If so, I know what they are-

BASTARDS!!!!!

Ate algae, yes, but moved on to yellow polyps, porites, etc.

I had to chase the little arses until I caught them. LFS didn't want them, I couldn't keep them. What to do? Hmmm, recycled into fish food. I fed him to my yellow polyps, they thanked me.