Crabs on SPS??

[seannmelly]

i got 2 new acros today, and once they were in the tank noticed something moving. they were crabs. one brown and tan and the other 3-4 were translucent tannish/peach. keep in mind they were very hard to get off. no bigger then 1/2" big. they are all deceased now so i don't have pics. has anyone heard of this??

 

[reefreak29]

yes there acro hosting crabs, have 2 in my green and pink acro that never leave there post

 

[teen]

not all crabs that come in on acros are good though. theres a bunch of bad ones that could potentially kill the coral.
usually the bad ones are blue eyed and furry. its best to post a pic of the crab though so hopefully we can help you out and decide whether it should stay or you should chuck it.

 

[stanlalee]

the description sounds like acro crabs which are harmless. I have one. No need to remove them. if they were smooth shelled they were fine.

 

[bang guy]

Man, I would love some Acro Crabs. If you have Acro Crabs you can prevent Clown Gobies from nipping the polyps.

 

[reefreak29]

Originally Posted by teen
not all crabs that come in on acros are good though. theres a bunch of bad ones that could potentially kill the coral.
usually the bad ones are blue eyed and furry. its best to post a pic of the crab though so hopefully we can help you out and decide whether it should stay or you should chuck it.
there already dead

 

[reefreak29]

Originally Posted by Bang Guy
Man, I would love some Acro Crabs. If you have Acro Crabs you can prevent Clown Gobies from nipping the polyps.
i love mine ,very teritorial and beautifully colored ,mine are pink with a black strip across there eyes

 

[teen]

Originally Posted by reefreak29
there already dead

i know, im saying for future reference.

 

[seannmelly]

yea thanks guys but i figured better safe then sorry so they got chucked. there was 5 of them

 

[seannmelly]

i tried to look in the hitchiker thread but couldnt find them

 

[happyhourh]

commensal crabs
http://www.reefwonders.net/encyclopa...ezione=6&enc=4

 

[rabid frog]

they were acro crabs. The crabs also help to prevent algae build up on the acro itself.
There was a neat show on Discovery that showed acro crabs fighting off the crown of thorn stars. the star would try to climb up on the acro and digest the coral and the acro crab would snip off its little feet and pieces of its stomach. the star moved on to another coral.
Most wild caught acros will have some acro crabs in it. I have 5 different acros and they all have 1-3 crabs in them. I even have a shrimp in one.

 

[seannmelly]

well just seen another in the acro should i just leave it there? will it hurt it? it kinda looks like hes eating.....i hope not the coral

 

[reefreak29]

Originally Posted by seannmelly
well just seen another in the acro should i just leave it there? will it hurt it? it kinda looks like hes eating.....i hope not the coral
is it smooth or hairy?if its a hairy one get it out if not i would leave it alone

 

[seannmelly]

it dont look hairy ill just leave it ans see what happens