(2) Hitchhikers on my Birds nest

[hmmhmm]

Can anyone spot them? Are they ok to leave on it?

 

[alyssia]

Do you mean the crabs?

 

[hmmhmm]

yup...both came on it when i got it saturday..

 

[reefiness]

i believe so, in nature those crabs help defend the coral from attacks from predators like lage starfish

 

[hmmhmm]

i suppose they'll eat anything that floats by? they haven't left it at all since saturday...got that piece for 35 bucks...its bigger than a baseball...and part of it broke off for a frag to grow...

 

[speg]

Are they both the same kind of crap? One looks like a porcelin crab and the other looks like just some strange crab.. maybe it sjust the pic.

 

[hmmhmm]

lol..same crap...nah they're the same type of crabs it looks like...one is a tad larger than the other...i saw a blue crab on an acro in the store...but they wanted too much for the frag...

 

[alyssia]

Originally Posted by Speg
Are they both the same kind of crap? One looks like a porcelin crab and the other looks like just some strange crab.. maybe it sjust the pic.
I think one of them looks like a porcelain crab too

 

[hmmhmm]

a close up

 

[viper_930]

They're commonly called acro crabs and most share a symbiotic relationship with their coral host. They can't live without a host.
If their legs are smooth like the pic shows, then just leave the crabs. But if their legs are hairy then they should be removed.