Anemone crab issues

[cgj]

A few months ago I bought an anemone crab, he had the tank to share with numerous snails and emerald crabs. He was smaller. I noticed that within a few days he lost both of his claws and one of his 6 legs. What the heck I thought, whats going on? Within a week or so he dissapeared and had not been seen since.
3 days ago I went and bought a VERY large anemone crab. He is roughly twice the size of even my biggest emerald crab. I put him in and he walks around a bit. He likes to climb the back and sit near the top of the water line. I inspected him yesterday to find he was missing his right claw... and then this morning his left claw and one of his legs. Is this common? Why is my tank encursed for anemone crabs?

 

[cgj]

I just checked on him again... he has lost every limb with the exception of his rearmost left and right leg. What the hell is wrong with my tank?

 

[mcbdz]

Sounds like maybe there is a hitchhiker. Do you here a clicking noise at night? or maybe use a flashlight at night and see if there is a bad crab in your live rock.

 

[cgj]

never here a clicking noise... all the crabs in there are emeralds... except him, and one boxing crab who i havent seen in months. Perhaps my purple lobster is savaging him at night if he happens upon his lair.

 

[jesses89]

are there proper Calcium/Iodine levels in your water? Sometimes when there isnt... and crabs molt... they will be missing "parts" because of insufficient nutrients needed for molting werent present.
That or something in your tank is harrassing your crab... check on it.

 

[griffen8280]

I am actually looking into getting one of these crabs but am still in the research phase. I have read that if one of these crabs feel threatened or if a predator is after it, they will voluntarily drop a leg or claw and scurry away. The best way to prevent this from happening is to get an anemone for it to bond with. They feel the safest when in the anemone and are less likely to start dropping body parts. Plus they are really good for the anemone providing it with food and grooming. I currently have a "white" Sabae anemone, and have found out that these crabs will bond fairly fast with them.

 

[nick76]

Originally Posted by Griffen8280
I am actually looking into getting one of these crabs but am still in the research phase. I have read that if one of these crabs feel threatened or if a predator is after it, they will voluntarily drop a leg or claw and scurry away. The best way to prevent this from happening is to get an anemone for it to bond with. They feel the safest when in the anemone and are less likely to start dropping body parts. Plus they are really good for the anemone providing it with food and grooming. I currently have a "white" Sabae anemone, and have found out that these crabs will bond fairly fast with them.
Very good input, Some of the other crabs in your tank may be making it feel threatned.

 

[alex4286]

i hear a clicking noise at night in my tank!
what can that mean??
i have a few hermits.. and i 1 gorilla crab but i believe my purple lobster ate him bcuz he hasnt been seen since 2 days after getting it and i always saw him on my rocks

 

[griffen8280]

Just lookin into your mysterious noise problem and may have found out the answer. Check to see if you can find a mantis shrimp in there. They are known hitchhikers that can hide in holes in live rock and then come out in your tank. I think they are mostly nocturnal but the disturbing thing is they enjoy eating there tank mates!! Another thing is if your tank is glass and not acrylic and you do have one that's bad news. The pinch pressure of there claws is strong enough to rupture the tank in an all glass setup but not in acrylic.

Check out this site it has some pretty good info on mantis'.
http://ozreef.org/library/articles/mantis_shrimp.html
Hopefully if it is one you can get him before he does any real damage.

 

[nick76]

Also remember clicking does not always mean a mantis, Pistol shrimp click however their harmless. Another possibility is your hermit crabs could be "Mating" mine tend to bang shells alot

 

[jesses89]

OMG i hear several clicking sounds coming from my tank too!!!
wait i forgot, i have 3 pistol shrimp

but Griffen couldnt of said it any better....

 

[alex4286]

im hearing this noise and it bothers me at night when im watching tv.. i hear it!
im freakin out.. like is my tanks crackin or something!?
wish there was a picture of what these things look like
i dont even know what to look for
aaand i moved out all my rocks when i was moving the tank in my room and they werent kept underwater.. these thing(s) must be reallllllly hardy because they were out of water for like a good 5-10mins

 

[nigerbang]

Originally Posted by Alex4286
im hearing this noise and it bothers me at night when im watching tv.. i hear it!
im freakin out.. like is my tanks crackin or something!?
wish there was a picture of what these things look like
i dont even know what to look for
aaand i moved out all my rocks when i was moving the tank in my room and they werent kept underwater.. these thing(s) must be reallllllly hardy because they were out of water for like a good 5-10mins
Here ya go...

 

[reefernana]

The mantis that hitchhiked in on one of my live rocks wasn't near that pretty. It was just the white kinda see through kind. Anyway, at the time I only had 3 rocks in my tank since it was right after setup and I never heard him but he did show himself several times. After I found out what he was exactly, I got rid of him by dipping the one rock I found him in, in freshwater for about 10-15 seconds. This got rid of him and several of the bristleworms in the rock but didn't kill the barnacles that were on it. If you have any coral on the rock you shouldn't do this though. Anyhow, this was the easiest and fastest way being that I knew exactly what rock it was in. They are very hard to catch otherwise. Hope this helps!

 

[griffen8280]

Yes alot of crustaceans actually have internal sacs that they can store water in. they use this ability when they are pulled out of water by splashing the water in the sacs against they're gills internally. This allows them to stay out of water for a very long time (pretty much until they themselves dry out)! If you want a demonstration of this go to a creek in your local area and catch a Crawfish and leave it out of water for like 5 mins. Garaunteed he will still be alive and ready to pinch when you come back to him!! haha

Originally Posted by Alex4286
im hearing this noise and it bothers me at night when im watching tv.. i hear it!
im freakin out.. like is my tanks crackin or something!?
wish there was a picture of what these things look like
i dont even know what to look for
aaand i moved out all my rocks when i was moving the tank in my room and they werent kept underwater.. these thing(s) must be reallllllly hardy because they were out of water for like a good 5-10mins