Do all emerald crabs hide?

[maryc137]

With my cleanup crew I got 2 emerald crabs. Although I hardly ever see them because they are hiding all the time. Do they all do this? I think they are so cute, would like to have more, but can't see the sense of buying them if they are going to hide like the first 2.

 

[nacl-h2o]

They all do seem to hide a lot. but How much they hide will depend on what else you have in your tank. And many will hide a lot when first introduced until they get comfortable in there new surroundings.

 

[salty guy]

I have two Emerald Crab too and mine did hide for the first week or so. But now they are all over the rock (though I do spend more time sitting infrount of my tank than I do anything else). I have one that is quite large and during feeding time for the fish he will come out and wait for the food to make it down to the bottom. Its almost like a little dinner party. one Emerald Crab and, 4 or 5 hermits of different sorts all come out and pick through the sand for fallen food.

 

[jedimaster]

be careful with your emerald crabs, I have two in my tank(came hidden in LR) and I caught both of them munching on my Yellow Pollyps.

 

[wolffam]

MIne hide almost all the time, but I do notice that my bubble algae is under control.

 

[reefnjeff]

I see mine all the time and bubble algae is out of control....lol the only probleam I found with my crab is that he likes to rearrange my tank knocking over smaller rocks trying to get under them.

 

[volitan]

Marcy, I agree wholeheartedly. I love my Emerald crab, but the thing seems to be nocturnal. He hides all day, and works all night. I thought he was dead for about two weeks ahe I happened to turn on the light in the hallway one night something caught my eye in the unlit tank. There he was, scurrying across the bottom to find somewhere to hide.

 

[bj]

I got 4 of them with my cleanup crew from this site, very neat looking crabs aren't they ? They stayed in the reef until very recently, now they pretty much are out during the day with everyone else. Took about 6 weeks for them to start doing that. They have good eyesite as well, if you venture too close to the glass, they will scury away. Another interesting crab was my sally lightfoot. Very active and mobile. Today I looked in and saw her shell laying upside down - sad - but not - it was the "shed". She came out and I saw her intact !! Hard to get used to this molting thing, my coral banded shrimp did the same thing and I would have bet that was dead also.

 

[bigeyedfish]

My emerald is one of my favorite things in the tank. I call him "tarzan" He likes to hang by one claw and wave at food and the fish as they go by. Lately he has decided to chase my cleaner shrimp around the tank. But i think they have started to get along.