Do emerald crabs get aggressive ???

[adivedog]

About once a week I find one of my hermits dead and just laying out (not eaten) the shell is still there too. The only livestock in the tank is the cleaning crew which includes a cleaner shrimp and an emerald crab. So unless I have something in the liverock that comes out at night I figured maybe its the emerald crabs. Any thoughts ??

 

[bigeyedfish]

Yeah they do. My emerald has killed four cleaner shrimp so far. So i think i am finally going to give up on shrimps until i get him out. I attribute it to lack of food, but you never know i might have picked a meanie.

 

[crazyelvis]

I think it just depends on the crab... Just as in many other things...
My Emerald hasn't hurt anyone ....
My hermets haven't damaged anything...
But my serpant star ate all of my fish...
I have concluded that sometimes you get aggressive ones sometimes you don't...
Just my oppinion ...

 

[predator]

Well said Crazy. I have seen and heard of emerald crabs reeking all kinds he!! in a reef. But I hear way more good than bad. It's a 50/50 toss up with any crustacean you add in your tank. I had a banded coral shrimp completely demolish a beautiful frogspawn???? Though do not leave out the poosiablity of a hitchhiker in your lr doing it!!

 

[marine fanatic]

I had 2 emeralds and the bigger one literally tore the smaller one apart. He ripped 3 left legs and the left claw off in one night. I had to put the little guy out of his misery since he could not even keep himself upright. Since the big one was so aggressive, I tossed him in with the snowflake which dealt with him swiftly. I have another large one and he seems quite docile so I agree that it is a crap-shoot...some are mellow, some are mean.