Emarld Crabs
- Thread starter del_rn
- Start date
del_rn
New Member
I can't figure out what is killing my fish. I have noticed that some of my fish before they died, one of the emarld crabs was following it trying to nip at its tail and it had gotten the tail a couple of times. Of course when the fish died, they attack it and ate it. I am grasping here to figure out what is going on. I have other things in there live shrimp, starfish, crabs, anemones, that are doing great. I have liver rock that is growing beautiful purple and green algae. I am at a loss. My Ph is normal, 0 nitrites, nitrates 40 (I am working on that), ammonia 0, sg 1.023-1.024. Any ideas?
A
alexmir
Guest
If they are decent sized fish i doubt it is the emerald crab killing them.... I could see it eating them when it died, but i think if it were the crab there would be open wounds on the fish, not just a nipped tail
m0nk
Active Member
Are you sure it's an emerald crab? Emerald crabs are herbivores. There are other Mithrax family crabs that will attach and eat fish, so it could be one of them. Emerald crabs are sort of a jade green (I'm sure you guessed that by the name), but their claws are "padded" so that they can grab and pull algae off of rocks. The kind of crabs you want to watch out for have sharp, pointed claws. I just pulled one out of a new piece of coral the other day that had claws that were bigger than the crab's body, and they sure looked sharper than a steak knife.
lizzy
Member
I have some emerald crabs that have tried to "grab" my clownfish as well.
It had my two year old son balling NEMO NEMO!!! but i went in there with my net and made the crab go back into the rocks...i've seen them doing it twice...they havent ever gotten them though...i dont want to find out if they would kill them or not...if ya know what i mean.
del_rn
New Member
My son was the same way, he said that we had to have Nemo in there. I got the emarld crabs in a reef package that I bought from swf.com. They were emarld green but their claws did not look padded to me, the rest of their legs were fuzzy like. I don't know, it hasn't helped much. My fish are still dying. I am going to let the tank sit for a while and hope that helps. I have some cleaners in there and only 2 damsels left. I have a red starfish and 2 brittle starfish that are doing well. Don't know what to do about the fish situation though.
lizzy
Member
Does the fish just come up missing? if not what does the body look like? any marks or anything? I think that sometimes brittle stars are known to catch slower moving fish? anyone help me out here...i'm still new at this and have no brittle stars....so.......Sorry! just get the experts on here a little more info...what does the body look like when you find it...or...let them know if you dont find it at all....
horsin1963
Member
Originally Posted by Lizzy
http:///forum/post/2526996
Does the fish just come up missing? if not what does the body look like? any marks or anything? I think that sometimes brittle stars are known to catch slower moving fish? anyone help me out here...i'm still new at this and have no brittle stars....so.......Sorry! just get the experts on here a little more info...what does the body look like when you find it...or...let them know if you dont find it at all....
Im not shure what your asking. if your talking about marks on the fish? yes sometimes a fish that is ill can just come up missing..crabs or your stars will eat it GONE. if anything is left it might look like a fuze ball or skeleton remains depends on how long its been dead and what was eating it. chances are with crabs, stars, etc you wont find anything. which is a good thing you dont want a dead decaying fish in the tank. if you really want to look for it find the dead spot in the tank where there is no current.. look there first.. how old are your test kits. keep testing water, test everything find out why the fish are not doing well.. trates being high could be the end result in the fish dieing bacterial cycle. they need to be lowered as soon as possible. high trate could be the starting cause of the fish not feeling well then they get caught by a hungry crab. keep testing, water changes...
I have three very large brittle stars they can always be seen reaching into the aquarium I have never seen them catch a healthy fish.. healthy being the key word.. I also have 6 emeralds that are getting very large I dont see them during the day for the most part they come out at night or when I clip a algae sheet or two and set it on the rocks for them.. the come running then.. try that till you get your trates in check get some algae sheets for the emeralds if they are going after your fish then they might need some extra feeding.. its a start anyway.. hope it helps good luck
http:///forum/post/2526996
Does the fish just come up missing? if not what does the body look like? any marks or anything? I think that sometimes brittle stars are known to catch slower moving fish? anyone help me out here...i'm still new at this and have no brittle stars....so.......Sorry! just get the experts on here a little more info...what does the body look like when you find it...or...let them know if you dont find it at all....
Im not shure what your asking. if your talking about marks on the fish? yes sometimes a fish that is ill can just come up missing..crabs or your stars will eat it GONE. if anything is left it might look like a fuze ball or skeleton remains depends on how long its been dead and what was eating it. chances are with crabs, stars, etc you wont find anything. which is a good thing you dont want a dead decaying fish in the tank. if you really want to look for it find the dead spot in the tank where there is no current.. look there first.. how old are your test kits. keep testing water, test everything find out why the fish are not doing well.. trates being high could be the end result in the fish dieing bacterial cycle. they need to be lowered as soon as possible. high trate could be the starting cause of the fish not feeling well then they get caught by a hungry crab. keep testing, water changes...
I have three very large brittle stars they can always be seen reaching into the aquarium I have never seen them catch a healthy fish.. healthy being the key word.. I also have 6 emeralds that are getting very large I dont see them during the day for the most part they come out at night or when I clip a algae sheet or two and set it on the rocks for them.. the come running then.. try that till you get your trates in check get some algae sheets for the emeralds if they are going after your fish then they might need some extra feeding.. its a start anyway.. hope it helps good luck
geoj
Active Member
Originally Posted by del_rn
http:///forum/post/2516490
I can't figure out what is killing my fish. I have noticed that some of my fish before they died, one of the emarld crabs was following it trying to nip at its tail and it had gotten the tail a couple of times. Of course when the fish died, they attack it and ate it. I am grasping here to figure out what is going on. I have other things in there live shrimp, starfish, crabs, anemones, that are doing great. I have liver rock that is growing beautiful purple and green algae. I am at a loss. My Ph is normal, 0 nitrites, nitrates 40 (I am working on that), ammonia 0, sg 1.023-1.024. Any ideas?
Nitrates 40
The emerald crabs was nipping fish fins (I believe)
Stress and Infection = dead fish
If you reduced feeding to lower nitrates this could make the emerald crabs hungry enough to go fishing.
http:///forum/post/2516490
I can't figure out what is killing my fish. I have noticed that some of my fish before they died, one of the emarld crabs was following it trying to nip at its tail and it had gotten the tail a couple of times. Of course when the fish died, they attack it and ate it. I am grasping here to figure out what is going on. I have other things in there live shrimp, starfish, crabs, anemones, that are doing great. I have liver rock that is growing beautiful purple and green algae. I am at a loss. My Ph is normal, 0 nitrites, nitrates 40 (I am working on that), ammonia 0, sg 1.023-1.024. Any ideas?
Nitrates 40
The emerald crabs was nipping fish fins (I believe)
Stress and Infection = dead fish
If you reduced feeding to lower nitrates this could make the emerald crabs hungry enough to go fishing.
horsin1963
Member
Originally Posted by del_rn
http:///forum/post/2526457
My son was the same way, he said that we had to have Nemo in there. I got the emarld crabs in a reef package that I bought from swf.com. They were emarld green but their claws did not look padded to me, the rest of their legs were fuzzy like. I don't know, it hasn't helped much. My fish are still dying. I am going to let the tank sit for a while and hope that helps. I have some cleaners in there and only 2 damsels left. I have a red starfish and 2 brittle starfish that are doing well. Don't know what to do about the fish situation though.
are your water changes being kept up? if so why are your trates that high with everything else in the normal or good range? Do a water change get your nitrates in check, being that high isnt good as I stated prior response.
some fish react differently to different chemical levels in your tank, some fish can handle high trates and some cant, some can adjust to it and some wont. and they can be of the same type of fish. invert or coral. A crab will look at a sick fish as dinner and he wont be able to catch a healthy one.. as stated prior response if your not feeding your crabs and they have consumed the algea in the tank they will be more likely to go after a unhealthy fish.
by a couple of clips and some algae sheets, start feeding the crabs if you notice that they are not eating the sheets then you can remove it with no problem. i think you will find that by changing your water and feeding your crabs everything will start to pick up for you.
http:///forum/post/2526457
My son was the same way, he said that we had to have Nemo in there. I got the emarld crabs in a reef package that I bought from swf.com. They were emarld green but their claws did not look padded to me, the rest of their legs were fuzzy like. I don't know, it hasn't helped much. My fish are still dying. I am going to let the tank sit for a while and hope that helps. I have some cleaners in there and only 2 damsels left. I have a red starfish and 2 brittle starfish that are doing well. Don't know what to do about the fish situation though.
are your water changes being kept up? if so why are your trates that high with everything else in the normal or good range? Do a water change get your nitrates in check, being that high isnt good as I stated prior response.
some fish react differently to different chemical levels in your tank, some fish can handle high trates and some cant, some can adjust to it and some wont. and they can be of the same type of fish. invert or coral. A crab will look at a sick fish as dinner and he wont be able to catch a healthy one.. as stated prior response if your not feeding your crabs and they have consumed the algea in the tank they will be more likely to go after a unhealthy fish.
by a couple of clips and some algae sheets, start feeding the crabs if you notice that they are not eating the sheets then you can remove it with no problem. i think you will find that by changing your water and feeding your crabs everything will start to pick up for you.
horsin1963
Member
Originally Posted by GeoJ
http:///forum/post/2527967
Nitrates 40
If you reduced feeding to lower nitrates this could make the emerald crabs hungry enough to go fishing.
I had to comment here..
you dont stop feeding to reduce nitrates..
you change water..
and she said nothing about reducing feeding to lower nitrates..she was looking for advise on why she is having the problems that she is having.
http:///forum/post/2527967
Nitrates 40
If you reduced feeding to lower nitrates this could make the emerald crabs hungry enough to go fishing.
I had to comment here..
you dont stop feeding to reduce nitrates..
you change water..
and she said nothing about reducing feeding to lower nitrates..she was looking for advise on why she is having the problems that she is having.
geoj
Active Member
Originally Posted by Horsin1963
http:///forum/post/2527995
I had to comment here..
you dont stop feeding to reduce nitrates..
you change water..
and she said nothing about reducing feeding to lower nitrates..she was looking for advise on why she is having the problems that she is having.
“The emerald crabs was following it trying to nip at its tail” It was most likely hungry…
You don’t stop feeding to reduce nitrates.. I agree
You can do water changes or add more filtration in some form.
http:///forum/post/2527995
I had to comment here..
you dont stop feeding to reduce nitrates..
you change water..
and she said nothing about reducing feeding to lower nitrates..she was looking for advise on why she is having the problems that she is having.
“The emerald crabs was following it trying to nip at its tail” It was most likely hungry…
You don’t stop feeding to reduce nitrates.. I agree
You can do water changes or add more filtration in some form.
horsin1963
Member
Originally Posted by GeoJ
http:///forum/post/2528025
“The emerald crabs was following it trying to nip at its tail” It was most likely hungry…
You don’t stop feeding to reduce nitrates.. I agree
You can do water changes or add more filtration in some form.
I agree with you also, I am very shure the emeralds were hungry . IMO they are great little critters for a aquarium. one thing that isnt thought of, is they are the last to be feed in a tank and for the most part you never see them untill they get hungry enough to come out when the lights are on. they do a great job and if they are seen chasing fish they are hungry and need to be fed.
I also agree with you about the nitrates and the filtration part but not knowing her setup its hard to give correct advise. I'm shure you were trying to help but it was the way you had written your advise. it could of been a "typo" as I have been known to have my fare share of them. Ive been known to type B4 I think about what I have written. they make chemicles that can be added to a tank to combat the nitrates but IMO I wouldnt use them, and most of it is not recomended for salt tanks.. just like you stated change the water its the best way.
By the way as far as the emeralds claws being padded. I think MONK said something refering to it.. I have never seen that my little guys are not padded. maybe when they are very young they look that way. I shouldnt say little because they are not little anymore. and they pinch good if they get ahold of your finger.. they are emeralds and they have pointed little pinchers with fuzzy legs and a green body...
well anyway hows your tank doing ?? any updates??
http:///forum/post/2528025
“The emerald crabs was following it trying to nip at its tail” It was most likely hungry…
You don’t stop feeding to reduce nitrates.. I agree
You can do water changes or add more filtration in some form.
I agree with you also, I am very shure the emeralds were hungry . IMO they are great little critters for a aquarium. one thing that isnt thought of, is they are the last to be feed in a tank and for the most part you never see them untill they get hungry enough to come out when the lights are on. they do a great job and if they are seen chasing fish they are hungry and need to be fed.
I also agree with you about the nitrates and the filtration part but not knowing her setup its hard to give correct advise. I'm shure you were trying to help but it was the way you had written your advise. it could of been a "typo" as I have been known to have my fare share of them. Ive been known to type B4 I think about what I have written. they make chemicles that can be added to a tank to combat the nitrates but IMO I wouldnt use them, and most of it is not recomended for salt tanks.. just like you stated change the water its the best way.
By the way as far as the emeralds claws being padded. I think MONK said something refering to it.. I have never seen that my little guys are not padded. maybe when they are very young they look that way. I shouldnt say little because they are not little anymore. and they pinch good if they get ahold of your finger.. they are emeralds and they have pointed little pinchers with fuzzy legs and a green body...
well anyway hows your tank doing ?? any updates??
algyslick
Member
I have an emerald crab that will chase away anything that comes near it. Luckily the clown and dwarf lion reside at the other side of the tank because they're slow enough to get caught. My damsels aren't but the lil crab tries. I have an over aggresive Coral Banded Shrimp too.
Fact is if they've realized killing fish is a source of fresh food they'll do it. Animals are just like people, some are crazy.
Fact is if they've realized killing fish is a source of fresh food they'll do it. Animals are just like people, some are crazy.
ophiura
Active Member
I think we need to know a lot more before assuming these were the crabs. For one, the hogfish would be a predator of crabs (and the stars, BTW).
How old is the tank?
Did you find the bodies?
Where these fish added at separate times?
How long did you have them before dying?
What other fish do you have?
Often scavengers (and IMO all crabs are opportunistic) WILL be caught with the evidence when they had nothing to do with the death. IMO you may be overlooking another problem by assuming it was the crabs.
How old is the tank?
Did you find the bodies?
Where these fish added at separate times?
How long did you have them before dying?
What other fish do you have?
Often scavengers (and IMO all crabs are opportunistic) WILL be caught with the evidence when they had nothing to do with the death. IMO you may be overlooking another problem by assuming it was the crabs.