Decorator crab question

[wrassecal]

I got a decorator crab a couple weeks ago. I haven't seen it in several days but last night he was crawling around on the lr. It hasn't decorated itself with anything, so I put a santa suit on it and it just picked it off. So my question is do they always decorate themselves? Does it take a while before they decide to start?

 

[wrassecal]

There has got to be somebody out there that knows something about these crabs........I didn't really put a santa suit on it

 

[carrie1429]

I've had mine for about a week now and the only thing he's decorated himself with is a green plant thing that I have in several places. Right now it looks like he's wearing a hat. Maybe yours just doen't like the stuff you got in your tank. Mine loves plants though.

 

[wrassecal]

I forgot to mention,mine decorates itself with little pieces of caulerpa, but it's like the guy with the beard at the local buffet.....later he just pulls it off and eats it.

 

[beth]

Well, my decorator has no problems dressing. He has a field day with my zoos!

 

[wrassecal]

zoos are next on my list....maybe he's waiting for just the right outfit

 

[iceburger]

lol mine is a moving mass of caulerpa...lol kinda freaks ya out...

 

[slothy]

mine took 1 day and dressed up very well.. hes always out crusing around

 

[beth]

You killed them??? Why? If you don't want an animal there are plenty of others that DO. I'm sure your LFS would have taken them.

 

[slothy]

Originally posted by Draxx
Ive got a bunch of "decorator crabs" but there is one Ive recently noticed that looks just like a decorator crab but it does not decorate itself at all. Small little claws but it has more of a brown mithrax's body. Mabie you really dident get a decorator? (I killed 5 of mine because they kept killing my seasquirts).
Killer !!! heheheh.. did you at least feed them to a coral or have crab legs ?

 

[wrassecal]

Slothy - that pic of yours is what made me decide to get one. I have gsp, button polyps etc for it to pick from. If it WAS NOT a decorator crab would it still stick caulerpa on itself? Cause it has done that.

 

[jrb384]

I have had 3 decorater crabs for about 2-3 weeks and they have not decorated at all. I have noticed they will just sit on a coral and never move. They ecspecially love the encrusted gorgonia's. I just wanted them as a method of cheap, labor free, fragging...
oh well, another plan that didnt work....(atlest that one didnt cost me 100's of $, atleast not yet)

 

[von_rahvin]

nice page slothy!! that is a great opener.

 

[striker]

Mine decorated himself with my brown polyps one day after acclimating.

 

[robchuck]

The same day I put mine in, he decided to carefully take some of the tube from one of my feather dusters, and put it on his back. The feather dusters are still doing fine. He also likes calurpa on his back, but not for long.

 

[entice59]

how big do they get? i want one

 

[slothy]

well mine is getting tossed back to the LFS... never bothered any of my corals, until i dropped in a fox coral, and with 10 secs he zoomed over and starting to eat it.. just a heads up...

 

[wrassecal]

Well I think I got a camoflauge crab instead of a decorator one. Can hardly ever find it, has put nothing but caulerpa on itself, then eats it later so it's just a dusty looking crab when I do manage to find it in there. Sorry yours didn't work out, it looked so cool.

 

[jayjay_bui]

hello i have a decortaor crab i need to no what they like to eat and what are the best things for them in a 35 gl salt water tank ?

 

[wrassecal]

Well, I'm certainly no expert. Mine started hanging out in front of the tank and a few days later went hairy legs up I have no idea why.