HELP! ID This CRAB PLZ!!

tinydove

tinydove

Member
Hey all,
I just noticed I have a crab in my tank. I have had the LR for almost 10 years when I had my 55g Reef. I sold the 55g and got a 12g about 4-5 years ago and used some of the LR for the 12g when I set it up since it was cured for years. I never had any trouble in my 55g with anything attacking my corals or other live stock so I am hoping he is a "GOOD CRAB" PLZ tell me he is! I have not added any LR to my 12g since I have set it up almost 5 years ago. I have a Perc Clown Fish and a peppermint shrimp and some snails in the tank as well. The clown has been in there since I set the tank up, for years now but the shrimp is new as well as a turbo or two. So this crab has been in this bib piece of LR for almost 10 years, How long do crabs LIVE!!
Any Id with this crab would be great, thanks all.



 
jackri

jackri

Active Member
Looks like an emerald crab but... doubt it is.. sorry I can't really help but after 5 years of not hurting anything I would think it's safe.
 
tinydove

tinydove

Member
Yes, he does have little black claw tips.
He had to have been in the piece of LR for almost 10 Years. That piece has been in my 12g for almost 5 now, we never saw him b4 not even a molt! The only thing in there now is my Perc clown who is also close to 10 yrs and a new peppermint shrimp I got on Thursday and a few snails. I took a small plastic coke bottle and washed it good w/ viniger and cut the top off and inverted it into the bottom of the bottle as someone told me to try, they said use a small piece of shrimp or crab that people can eat but I do not have any so I am using a small piece of chicken, do u think that might work? I just shut my lights down and put the bottle in my tank. I was planning on doing a WC in the morning anyway.
How long can a crab like this live
any idea.
 
jackri

jackri

Active Member
Originally Posted by Bang Guy
http:///forum/post/2956719
Depending on the species it could be 25 - 30 years.
Wow

Depending on what you want to keep in your tank would depend on whether or not you want to keep it in there (current livestock seems ok to me)... but yeah black claws aren't a good sign.
 
tinydove

tinydove

Member
I heard the black claw was a bad thing
the tanks been set up 5 years in July, it has been a FOWLR/LS with a few snails all these years, and I have never added new LR or anything but the pep shrimp on Thursday, so that Lil" Sucker has been in there all these years and hubby and I never saw him until today. I was wondering since the pep shrimp is new this week and hangs out in the same spot as the hole in the LR where the crab came out of could the crab have noticed the pep at his front door sort of speak and came out for a look see?
Hubby and I have never seen any molts from the lil' sucker and you figure he has been in there for 5 years we would have noticed him or at least a molt?

I just ordered new lights and filter and a Led Moon light and a Koralia since I want to make it a 12g Nano so I can keep some shrooms and some softies. Everythig should be here on Thursday and I need to get the crab out before I place my order w/ SWF as soon as my new lights and things come in.
I am trying the plastic bottle methord and I hope he will be in it in the morning when I awake
The LR he is in is such a sweet piece and as I have stated I have had it for close to 10 years, I would hate to have to destroy everything living on the LR, it's so pretty
Any other ideas of how to get the little bugger w/o hurting my LR if the bottle method fails me? He is only about a 1/2 or just under, you would think he would be larger after being there for 5 years
 
james2042

james2042

Member
Originally Posted by tinydove
http:///forum/post/2956118
Hey all,
I just noticed I have a crab in my tank. I have had the LR for almost 10 years when I had my 55g Reef. I sold the 55g and got a 12g about 4-5 years ago and used some of the LR for the 12g when I set it up since it was cured for years. I never had any trouble in my 55g with anything attacking my corals or other live stock so I am hoping he is a "GOOD CRAB" PLZ tell me he is! I have not added any LR to my 12g since I have set it up almost 5 years ago. I have a Perc Clown Fish and a peppermint shrimp and some snails in the tank as well. The clown has been in there since I set the tank up, for years now but the shrimp is new as well as a turbo or two. So this crab has been in this bib piece of LR for almost 10 years, How long do crabs LIVE!!
Any Id with this crab would be great, thanks all.
Maybe a florida stone crab
 
tinydove

tinydove

Member
Nope, do not think so, there is no way his claws are over 2" i would say the whole crab might be 1/2' at most.
still trying to figure him out
Does kind of look like him though, but real smal, You would think he would be much larger for the almost 10 years he must have been in that piece of LR. does that 2 3/4" mean the claws have to be that large to keep him, I just noticed it was a fishing guide, sorry. But it does look like him. and the LR did come from SWF, do they get there LR local? Is he bad if it is that kind of crab?
 
tinydove

tinydove

Member
Nope, no way it can be a FL stone crab, I just googled it and from what it said the grow large, and this little sucker has had to be in my 12g tank for almost 5 years now and the LR was in my 55g before that. All my LR was put in my 12g tank where he is now at the same time and nothing else has been added to the tank in all that time except a pep shrimp this past Thursday and a few turbos. Never added any coral or other LR, so I guess the ID hunt is still on.
 
cranberry

cranberry

Active Member
There are so many different types of crabs it is really really hard to really ID them in this manner. But form follows function and typically black tips can indicate they are not a "friendly" crab. I always remove hitchhiker crabs when I see them.
 
tinydove

tinydove

Member
WOW! That looks like the one I have. From what I understand since it has black tips on it's claws it is a BAAAAD Crab!! I have been trying for days to get the Lil" Sucker out of my LR and tank. I have tried the bottle methord and even tried inticing the critter w/ small pieces of delites tied to fishing line...LOL "hey" I figured why not give it a try, can't hurt, right.
Well, to no avail will this bugger go for it, I think he knows I am trying to evict him! He just stares at me with those tiny evil eys as if saying "Scew You, Old Lady,
I am not falling for it!!
The only thing left for me is to take my Pretty Piece of LR out but I do not want to hurt the LR, I have had it for almost 10 years and it hs been in my 12g set up now for almost 5 years
The way things are going I might have to hire a hit man to get rid of him! If you come up with a way to catch ur intruder please let me know so I can try the same thing. He might look evil but I hate to kill anything.
 
goober_hunter

goober_hunter

Member
i had the same one in my tank for a couple years . i started to notice that a pile of shells by his hide out. so i got him out and put him in my nano. next day i seen him eating my fish. hes gone now.
 
dazed2040

dazed2040

Member
Originally Posted by tinydove
http:///forum/post/2960903
WOW! That looks like the one I have. From what I understand since it has black tips on it's claws it is a BAAAAD Crab!! I have been trying for days to get the Lil" Sucker out of my LR and tank. I have tried the bottle methord and even tried inticing the critter w/ small pieces of delites tied to fishing line...LOL "hey" I figured why not give it a try, can't hurt, right.
Well, to no avail will this bugger go for it, I think he knows I am trying to evict him! He just stares at me with those tiny evil eys as if saying "Scew You, Old Lady,
I am not falling for it!!
The only thing left for me is to take my Pretty Piece of LR out but I do not want to hurt the LR, I have had it for almost 10 years and it hs been in my 12g set up now for almost 5 years
The way things are going I might have to hire a hit man to get rid of him! If you come up with a way to catch ur intruder please let me know so I can try the same thing. He might look evil but I hate to kill anything.
I have not had any problems with mine so I just leave him alone. I did move my whole tank a few weeks ago and when I pulled out his rock he hung on so you might want to pull the rock out to get him.
 
cranberry

cranberry

Active Member
Dazed... I would so totally remove that. Destructive behaviour isn't always seen until it's too late. But I guess it kind of depends on what you have in there.
 
dazed2040

dazed2040

Member
Originally Posted by Cranberry
http:///forum/post/2961524
Dazed... I would so totally remove that. Destructive behaviour isn't always seen until it's too late. But I guess it kind of depends on what you have in there.
I have a stingray, Scopas tang and a few damsels. I am surprised that the ray has not got to him yet.
 
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