- Gall Crab -

[DevIouS]

On purchase of this piece, I noticed a small hole which had movement inside. I thought it was cool & thought nothing of it but the hole progressivly got bigger & there was damage to the coral around the surrounding area.
With the ID assist from Chief & surgical procedure tips from Deanos (he just removed one from a chalice)....I had to get this guy out.
As Dean stated "it did not survive extraction" .....lol


Excerpt:
Specimens has been reported reported in elegance corals (Catalaphyllia jardinei), as well as Favia, and Scolymia. They apparently live in the skeleton of the coral and may displace the coral from the skeleton. They also may be eating the coral. If you find one in your coral, and it appears to be causing damage, you probably should try to remove it, if it is possible to do so without damaging the coral.


Recent pic before the Brain was removed from the tank:

Nasty little sucker (notice the eggs):

From leashes to litter boxes, the Cheap As Chips Catalogue has all the essentials for your beloved pet at unbeatable prices.


Hole after removal. Approx. 1/2" deep. Notice the tissue damage to the surrounding area:

 

[Deanos]

Here's the pic of my invert formerly known as a Gall Crab

 

[Deanos]

Here's the threads that got me interested in seeing what was inside my chalice frag.

Trachyphyllia boring shrimp/crab

Ron Shimek's Website

 

[steveo32]

Wow that thing looks like something from the aliens movies. Glad to see you could get it out with minimal damage to the coral.

 

[taat2d]

Id LOVE to see a really really good pic of that thing. That would make for an awesome tattoo.:skull:

 

[KathyC]

That is gross...eeewwwhhh....

I received the piece below as a freebie when I purchased a coral recently. I was suspicious of the hole, so this piece has been floating around in my sump in a tupperware container for the past week...after seeing your post Phil, I'm glad I didn't put it in my DT...

Can anyone help with the surgery?
There is no way I am touching this piece again after seeing your pics... you can see the edge of the crab in the hole, and yes it moves if I poke it.
I haven't seen it venture outside of the burrow, and I even tried to entice it out with a piece of mysis...considering I would have gone screaming from the room if it had come out, I think that was very courageous of me...

:help:

 

[DevIouS]

Hilarious Kathy.....:lol2:


Honestly, that piece doesn't look very good...
Any flesh present?
Appears to be the same type of hole though.

Yes. Mine never wandered out. I always saw just the top of the head (never past the hole) & if it saw a shadow, it would bury itself further.
From what I have read, the female will not leave the hole.
The crab is not big at all. I used a pair of tweezers but Deen had a good idea of super-gluing the hole. Might work for the weak hearted..

 

[KathyC]

Thanks for the info Phil! Yup, it burries itself deeper if it see's a shadow..I'm thinking that is a good thing for both of us...

Flesh? Where?
The section where the hole is -- it sticks out about 1/2 inch from the rest of the coral..if that's what you mean by flesh...?

I can't do the glue thing since I'm still feeling guilty about gluing those vermited (?) snails..and tweezers..oh no, not me!
Warning to the next reefers home I visit.. (You're off the hook on this one Awilda..) I'm going to have this coral with me......

 

[DevIouS]

I was referring to the coral itself. Looks like it's just skeleton.:happysad:

 

[deelucky]

had one in my brain.

 

[masterswimmer]

Great heads up fillup. I'm sure I'm not the only one to gain some valuable knowledge on this. Nice extraction BD. You too dee.

swimmer

 

[Awibrandy]

Thanks for the info Phil! Yup, it burries itself deeper if it see's a shadow..I'm thinking that is a good thing for both of us...

Flesh? Where?
The section where the hole is -- it sticks out about 1/2 inch from the rest of the coral..if that's what you mean by flesh...?

I can't do the glue thing since I'm still feeling guilty about gluing those vermited (?) snails..and tweezers..oh no, not me!
Warning to the next reefers home I visit.. (You're off the hook on this one Awilda..) I'm going to have this coral with me......

You are to much Kathy!!

I may have the same thing on a piece of favia that some one gave me. Now I gotta go get it out, and it to the sump until my parents go home. Then I can do some closer inspections...:dead1:

 

[KathyC]

I was referring to the coral itself. Looks like it's just skeleton.:happysad:

lol..oops..there is actually a good deal of flesh on there..just doesn't look that way in the pic. It's an orangy color with a bright green in the recessed sections. Have been changing the water in the container a few times a day to keep it healthy til it has...surgery.

A - is your piece in question from a pick up we both did last week in Brooklyn??

 

[JHOV2324]

I epoxyed some gorilla crabs into live rock before but if you seal the hole wont the crab continue to damage the skeleton/coral...maybe it wud be better to remove it.....the Bronx boys did a good job in getting that sukka out....

 

[Deanos]

On 2nd thought, if the goal is to be rid of the gall crab, I'd recommend removing it. I wouldn't want the dead crab and eggs rotting away inside the coral. :dead1:

 

[Spracklcat]

Wow, great thread everyone. thanks for taking those pics and posting them--I've never seen anything like it before.

What if you shot some kalk paste in the hole first to kill the crab? Or at least slow it down so it's not such a battle to get him out?

 

[Deanos]

What if you shot some kalk paste in the hole first to kill the crab? Or at least slow it down so it's not such a battle to get him out?

Kalk paste may do more instant damage to the inside of the coral than the crab. I used an open paper clip to impale the crab :Starwars: Removal was simple after that

 

[KathyC]

Happy to report that my Gall Crab is no more...thanks Mike!
Have to say those are really great pics of the crab..that thing was small!


Should I expect the coral to overgrow the hole left by the crab?
Maybe squirt some glue in there just in case an egg or two was left behind?:eek1:

 

[Deanos]

Yes, a healthy coral will overgrow the hole left by a gall crab. A shake~n~bake rinse in SW should loosen and remove any eggs left behind.

 

[KathyC]

Sounds like a plan then! Thanks Dean and Phil!!!