dallascowboys2
Member
is this crab reef safe or not i found him on a peice of dead arcopora
do you know what kind of crab this is ?
- Thread starter dallascowboys2
- Start date
fretfreak13
Active Member
it looks like a little Mithrax crab to me, relitive of the Emerald Crab. are the claws pointed, or rounded? it'll help get you a better ID.
dallascowboys2
Member
one side is rounded and the other side is sharp/pointy
dallascowboys2
Member
tobbyjackson
New Member
Looks like a teddy bear crab. I don't think they are reef safe.
gill again68
Active Member
Maybe this is it?
you can google him. The picture looked darker but the description fits him pretty good.
Black-fingered Mud Crab
Panopeus herbstii
The black-fingered mud crab is a tiny, grayish-brown crab with powerful, black-tipped claws, one bigger than the other.
The larger claw, called the major claw, has a large tooth on the movable "finger" of the claw.
The mud crab's carapace, or shell, is wider than it is long, with five "teeth."
Black-fingered mud crabs grow to about 1.5 inches wide.
Where does the black-fingered mud crab live?
Black-fingered mud crabs are found on and around rocks, mud flats, pilings, oyster reefs, grass beds and sponge colonies near the shore. They sometimes create burrows under shells and stones. Black-fingered mud crabs range from the salty mouth of the Bay up to moderately brackish waters.
What does the black-fingered mud crab eat?
Black-fingered mud crabs use their strong claws to crush the shells of young clams and oysters, barnacles, periwinkles and other shellfish. They will also feed on hermit crabs by seizing a hermit crab's protruding legs and pulling it from its shell.
you can google him. The picture looked darker but the description fits him pretty good.
Black-fingered Mud Crab
Panopeus herbstii
The black-fingered mud crab is a tiny, grayish-brown crab with powerful, black-tipped claws, one bigger than the other.
The larger claw, called the major claw, has a large tooth on the movable "finger" of the claw.
The mud crab's carapace, or shell, is wider than it is long, with five "teeth."
Black-fingered mud crabs grow to about 1.5 inches wide.
Where does the black-fingered mud crab live?
Black-fingered mud crabs are found on and around rocks, mud flats, pilings, oyster reefs, grass beds and sponge colonies near the shore. They sometimes create burrows under shells and stones. Black-fingered mud crabs range from the salty mouth of the Bay up to moderately brackish waters.
What does the black-fingered mud crab eat?
Black-fingered mud crabs use their strong claws to crush the shells of young clams and oysters, barnacles, periwinkles and other shellfish. They will also feed on hermit crabs by seizing a hermit crab's protruding legs and pulling it from its shell.
spsnix
New Member
First of all DO NOT put him back.
That's a Gorilla Crab and they are pretty nasty since they will eat anything they can grab. A friend of mine had one exactly like that and he was eating his fish, zoas, shrimp and clams. Pretty much anything. We had a hard time trying to catch him as he was hiding everywhere in a 210g tank. Later on I found one in my tank and it seems it came from the same tank since both of us bought LR from a guy who was breaking down his tank, but luckily my tank had nothing since it was a new set-up so I almost took down the tank to take him out.
GORILLA AND STONE CRABS
You want to keep a lookout for Gorilla Crabs (xanthid species) and Stone Crabs. These pesky buggers are predators that can cause damage to your reef, eating anemones, clams, and anything else they can get their claws around. They might look cute when they're small, but it's just not worth putting them into the tank. If you really want to keep them, you could put them into your sump/fuge (if you have one).
The sure-fire way to spot one of these is to look for the black tips on their claws. As Gorilla crabs get larger, they become quite "hairy" all over. You can smash these guys pretty easily using a chopstick.
From personal experience I recommend getting rid of them ASAP. Both of these crabs were placed in a 100 rubbermaid sump.
That's a Gorilla Crab and they are pretty nasty since they will eat anything they can grab. A friend of mine had one exactly like that and he was eating his fish, zoas, shrimp and clams. Pretty much anything. We had a hard time trying to catch him as he was hiding everywhere in a 210g tank. Later on I found one in my tank and it seems it came from the same tank since both of us bought LR from a guy who was breaking down his tank, but luckily my tank had nothing since it was a new set-up so I almost took down the tank to take him out.
GORILLA AND STONE CRABS
You want to keep a lookout for Gorilla Crabs (xanthid species) and Stone Crabs. These pesky buggers are predators that can cause damage to your reef, eating anemones, clams, and anything else they can get their claws around. They might look cute when they're small, but it's just not worth putting them into the tank. If you really want to keep them, you could put them into your sump/fuge (if you have one).
The sure-fire way to spot one of these is to look for the black tips on their claws. As Gorilla crabs get larger, they become quite "hairy" all over. You can smash these guys pretty easily using a chopstick.
From personal experience I recommend getting rid of them ASAP. Both of these crabs were placed in a 100 rubbermaid sump.
