2 inch pod

azocean709

azocean709

Member
i went to the beach and was out about 20` and down about 15` mining sand. i used the sand in a fuge i built for my 2nd tank, the remainder of the sand i left in the bucket, today, i emptied the bucket outside but noticed a huge pod swiming on top. it doesnt have the black eyes like the one that sucks blood, but is a cream color, with a purple tinge...has paddles everywhere for swimming.. GOD I WISH I HAD A DIGI CAM. i put it in the first chamber of my refuge, with no sand cause it likes to bury down and really fast... question is....what do pods eat? i want to keep this big bugger till i can find out exactly what it is.
 
azocean709

azocean709

Member
oh man....even if it is a good pod im worried about putting it in the fuge where the LS is....this thing DIGS...and when i mean dig..i mean dig...i took some of that sand i had left over and put it in a bowl...the bole is about 8 inches high...as soon as i put the pod in there it buried itsself...and was al the way at the bottom of the bowl in like 10 seconds. if i was to put this thing in my fuge it might disrupt the sand too much.
 
mr_bill

mr_bill

Active Member
Sounds like a sand crab, at least thats what we call them here. The ones we have here extend small appendages and catch small bits of food as the tide rushes past them. Great fish bait if your a fisherman but they do dig very fast almost like swimming through the sand.
http://www.assateague.com/mole-cr.html
 
azocean709

azocean709

Member
i just talked to my nieghbor...she's gonna let me use her digi, i should have a pic up with in the hour to see what it looks like. i don't think its a crab though...i gotta go get the cam....brb
 
sea n life

sea n life

Member
i think they call that a sand crab they are everywhere watch when the waves hit the shore and wash back out those lil things are everywhere and them things dig like crazy i love watching them
 
stang5_o

stang5_o

Member
Those things are everywhere in Myrtle Beach SC. I vacation there a lot and we always catch them. The locals call them sand crabs.
 
azocean709

azocean709

Member
but will this thing be harmful to my sand bed in the fuge? i don't want it stirring up an established SB. that would be bad.
 
aw2

aw2

Active Member
Those are Sand Fleas.
AmandaL and I went out to the beach down the street from you her house, in Florida, so she could show them to me.
We dug up 10 - 15 of them and took 'em home and put them in her 75gal. reef. Most of them are still alive, in the tank.
 
aw2

aw2

Active Member
They are filter feeders. At night, they remain buried in the sand, but stick little tentacles out of the sand to feed.
They stir the sandbed, but have caused no harm in AmandaL's tank.
I'll direct her to this thread, so she can post the pics of the ones we found, in her tank.
 
azocean709

azocean709

Member
well, i put it it the main part of the fuge...it buried in and left its little tail out of the sand...l.so i started messin with its tail...for a filter feeder...that sucker is pretty aggresive. it snapps. then it will bury down again.....tail up...i touched its tail again and the little

[hr]
jumped out of the sand to git my azz.....filter feeder my taill...!!! what is the latin name for this...i have been searching since 6 pm and cant find anything
 
viper_930

viper_930

Active Member
Originally Posted by AzOcean709
is the latin name for this...i have been searching since 6 pm and cant find anything
lol, I just found this in two seconds. Emerita analoga
 
amandal

amandal

Member
I'm here, as promised.

It's definitely a sand flea (that's what I've always known them as). I guess the official name is "mole crab". They are filter feeders, and unlike other crabs in that all movement is backwards. They scurry, swim and dig in reverse. The "tail" you were playing with was one of its filter appendages. They will dig into the sand, leaving just the eyes and the filters protruding to take food from the water column. If your fuge gets any particulates from the main thank, you shouldn't need to feed them. Otherwise, consider putting them in the main display. They will sift the sand, but that's a good thing. Definitely no need to worry.
Check this out for a bit of info.
http://www.assateague.com/mole-cr.html

 
azocean709

azocean709

Member
Thanks for the replys. Ha, i didn't know it was swimming backwards! lol Ill keep it in the fuge for awhile , then put it in the main tank. Thanks again! :joy:
 
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