Red eyed reef crab?????

[rydogg024]

I was looking at my fish tank last night and i saw this thing creeping around so i grabed my flash light and there was this crab munching away. it had bright red eyes and kind of black grey-blue spotings on it it was a bout 1 1/2 inch wide. kind of biult like a emrald crab. dose anyone happen to know what kind of crab it may be??? and if it reef safe.
Thanx for your replys
Rydog024

 

[fishieness]

if it has red eyes then it is probably not.
did you happen to catch what it was eating?

 

[ags]

Did you see the crab's claws? If they are flat and arounded it is reef safe. If they are sharp and pointed it probably isn't.
How long has your tank been setup, when is the last time you added LR and has any of your livestock gone missing lately?
This is what I ask myself when I discover a new invert in my tank. Predatory crabs can wreck havoc but if they get enough food they sometimes will leave your livestock alone.
I haven't added LR to my tank in 4 years. I found a new crab about a month ago. Didn't see enough of it to id it but for me that doesn't really matter. All my fish and ornamental shrimp are alive so it is either reef safe or happy enough that the fish and shrimp don't interest him.

 

[nm reef]

If it is not a speciman you added I'd be concerned. If possible do a few searchs for emeralds or crabs and see if you can find any ID info that matchs what you saw. Many hitchhiker crabs can be potentially problematic....and I'd be concerned if it were in my system.

 

[rydogg024]

I could not realy tell what it was eating, it looked like it was scaveging for food in the sand but it looked like what ever he ran in to it would eat. it was not big (maby the shell was nickel sized or so) but i would not want to get pinched by it. I looked it up and and the only thing i found was a pic that said red eyed reef crab. if you want to see the pic i found just type in red eyed reef crab and the pic will pop up.

 

[booduh]

I also have an unidentified crab in my tank. Trying to get it out seems impossible, it only comes out at dark and lives within the holes of my live rock. Anyone know of or how to build a trap to remove it?

 

[farslayer]

You could lay down a net with some food, wait for him to take the bait and then snatch him up.