I have crabs
- Thread starter sduda
- Start date
swilbs83
Member
Does it look like this?
http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/crust/mov713i.html
I am not sure if a crab 1.5 inches long could kill everything in your tank(yellow tangs are large and quick; hard for them to die from a small crab), and I'm not sure if crabs make clicking noises.......It may have been just another hitch hiker and you still might have the mantis in there...so once you get the crab out...listen for the clicking noise again and see if you do indeed have a mantis (which it sounds to me like it is, and the crab is just feeding on the mantis kills).........also by the way,you said you are losing snails and hermits....crabs that small can't crack their shells (thus you wouldn't be losing snails and hearing clicks)......don't stick your hands in there until you are 100% sure of what you have...wouldn't want to lose a finger
http://www.museum.vic.gov.au/crust/mov713i.html
I am not sure if a crab 1.5 inches long could kill everything in your tank(yellow tangs are large and quick; hard for them to die from a small crab), and I'm not sure if crabs make clicking noises.......It may have been just another hitch hiker and you still might have the mantis in there...so once you get the crab out...listen for the clicking noise again and see if you do indeed have a mantis (which it sounds to me like it is, and the crab is just feeding on the mantis kills).........also by the way,you said you are losing snails and hermits....crabs that small can't crack their shells (thus you wouldn't be losing snails and hearing clicks)......don't stick your hands in there until you are 100% sure of what you have...wouldn't want to lose a finger
sduda
Member
Swilbs83 - That is precisely what it looks like! I am listening for the popping sound to see if that is it or not. I am trying the method suggested in another post where by I have a bucket of highly saline water and I am dipping that rock to see if I can shake him loose. I am not totally confident he stayed on the rock as I very quickly in the dark extracted that rock! I have the rock with a circulating pump and heater in a bucket. I'll have to reaquascape as soon as I get this guy out. My tank looks like heck at the moment from some of the jockying around of rock and corals to get at where I believe he was. I hope this is the deal. Thanks for that link too!
swilbs83
Member
Ok well that pic is of a hairy crab, which, from what I am reading, isn't capable of doing the things that have been happening in your tank. Especially a crab that small. I'd seriously reconsider sticking your hands in the tank at night.....Mantis shrimp are dangerous things, not death causing, but certainly can break or severely slice your finger. Mantis shrimp attacks have led to amputation in some cases. Don't move all of your stuff around, you will only scare whatever hitchhiker you have in there, and thus it won't come out of it's hiding spot for a while. Leave your tank alone for a few days, and then try the coke bottle method...Good luck