Passenger on my LR

squidword

New Member
Yesterday we purchased 25lbs. of live rock. When me and my son reached in to place the rock in the tank there was a crab in there about the size of an Emerald crab.
Well it looked harmless so we left him in there. Once in the tank he came out for a stroll and damn he was UGLY. He looked like a tarantula on legs with some type of pattern on his back. Jusy curious what kind of crab could this be and is he safe in my tank? <img src="graemlins//freak.gif" border="0" alt="[freak]" />
 

nacl-h2o

Active Member
I couldn't tell you without a picture. But almost all crabs are not reef safe. Error on the side of caution isolate him until he is IDed if you can't verify it as safe remove him. Better to be safe than sorry.
 

karlas

Member
most hitchiker crabs can become a nusiance. if you have a sump or refugium you could always throw him in there. i would try to catch him and get a pic you would have a better chance of iding him that way
 
S

sinner's girl

Guest
Have you looked at the pic's on this site to see if matches on of those? Is it this: <a href="https://www.saltwaterfish.com/sallin.html" target="_blank">https://www.saltwaterfish.com/sallin.html</a> ? that looks like a tarantula to me. Just trying to help. If not I don't know.
 

brian'sreef

Member
I had a similar crab stowaway on my LR.. he was quite large mostly brown and bumpy with big black claws that had what almost looked like spoons on the end of them.. turned out it was a stone crab a close relative of the mithrax crab (which is known to eat bubble algea) the stone normally just ate algea including bubble algea but i knew that mithrax crabs when large enough will eat small fish..anyway.. saw the crab munching on my bicolor blenny and it was octopus food for him.. best bet as stated.. get him out .. i don't even like sally's in my tanks.. good luck..
Brian
 
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