stocking a variety of crabs

shep77

shep77

Member
Before I get my reef going and making a mistake, I thought I would ask you about putting these crabs together. The tank is a 75g and will eventually be stocked with both hard, soft, and anemones. Probably will not do a lot of fish with the exception of clowns and gobies, the usual at least for now. I have not decided on numbers yet but maybe you all could advise.
Anemone Crab
Boxing Crab
Emerald Crab
Hawaiian Strawberry Crab
Horseshoe Crab
Porcelain Crab
Sand Sifting Crab
Teddy Bear Crab
White Anemone Crab
I wanted to post this here and not in the new hobbists section since this is reef specific.
 
ctgretzky9

ctgretzky9

Member
I can only speak of the emerald crabs since that is what I have and I love them. They do an awesome job of cleaning out the LR crevices...they go into holes to clean, under the LR, under any shells in the tank etc and they seem completely non agressive. They also like to hang out near the anemones for some reason, I find them clinging to the rock right around them a lot.
 
shep77

shep77

Member
Thanks, I would like to know specifically about these crabs though. I know most people have had luck with the emeralds.
 
nm reef

nm reef

Active Member
I've never kept any of the crabs on your list except for the emeralds. They are decent additions in my opinion. Some of the others you listed can tend to be problematic....like the horseshoe....they grow very large and can be very disruptive. The Anemone Crab and the White Anemone Crab may be better off in systems with anemones to host with....I'm not real sure about that. All the other crabs on your list may be fine but I'd urge you to try a on-line search via google for additional info on each prior to adding them. You could also search this site for information on each. I can't specifically provide info based on experience but the info is available if you attempt to locate it. Myself...I prefer an assortment of emeralds....scarlets....and bluelegs. The combination has worked well for me.
 
T

tizzo

Guest
There is a big article on crabs in "Marine Fish & Reef USA 2005" But in short here's what they say...
Anemone Crab- no mention
Boxing Crab- Not suitable for most aquariums because it is likely to hide and not be seen again or get eaten moments after getting introduced into the aquarium.
Emerald Crab-Reported to eat troublesome algae. The males who have larger claws are more effective at eating large bubble algae. They can catch small fish but will usually do no harm when they find enough to eat on the rocks.
Hawaiian Strawberry Crab-no mention
Horseshoe Crab-no mention
Porcelain Crab- It appears that that's the "anemone crab" you mentioned. They do well in a reef, but seem to require a host anemone or a surrogate anemone or coral to survive in captivity.
Sand Sifting Crab-no mention
Teddy Bear Crab-no mention
White Anemone Crab-That goes back to the porcelain crab.
HTH...a little anyway.
 
shep77

shep77

Member
ctgretzky9, I wish there was a smiley face punching itself in the head. I thought I had removed them from my list because I knew more about them. My apologies...
IDIOT! :notsure:
 
ctgretzky9

ctgretzky9

Member
shep...silly, no need to apologize! That's quite alright. Hope youre getting good info for your needs. I see a bunch of people answered with good stuff
 
shep77

shep77

Member
Well, I will have all of my live sand and rock in by next weekend and then will start my cycle. I thought at first when I explored this whole adventure, I was going to do fish. Then I decided that I wanted more than just that since I had been doing cichlids for lon enough. Whenever I went diving I remember watching the reefs and seeing how much life really was moving and it typically was some sort of crab or goby. My biggest fear with all of this is keeping all of my #'s balanced and I thought what easier than these guys.
Scariest is balancing the relative salinity. For some reason it is just freaking me out that I will not be able to make the "Little" adjustments which in life always seem to be more difficult.
Thanks for everyone help.
 
alohami

alohami

Member

Originally posted by shep77
Scariest is balancing the relative salinity. For some reason it is just freaking me out that I will not be able to make the "Little" adjustments which in life always seem to be more difficult.
Thanks for everyone help.
Yes, everything can be overwhelming at first. I know I was, but after just a couple of months researching things on these boards I am much more comfortable with everything.
Actually, keeping the salinity steady is not as hard as you might think. Just do not let you tank water evaporate much, and keep it topped off with freshwater (salt does not evaporate) and it will not be a problem.
I do highly recommend getting a refractometer. They can be picked up for under $50 and are the most reliable way of measuring salinity.
 
shep77

shep77

Member
Maybe in the future, thanks for the tip. For instance I topped it off last night and am worried that it would drop the rs to quickly. Just have to get used to it.
 
meadbhb

meadbhb

Member
Hiya,
I've had fresh and cichlids in the past. My SW tank is MUCH easier to care for then either of those tanks.
I've had a boxer crab and loved it, when I saw it.
Emeralds great addition.
Have thought about an anenome crab and a rock anenome to host it.
I thought Teddy bear crabs were a no no if you have a reef.
Horseshoe forget it. They don't do well in SW tanks and grow way to big.
Have you thought about doing shrimp and crabs? There are several really cool shrimps out there too. I've mixed peppermints and a skunk cleaner with emeralds and my boxer with no problems.
Oh, and as for feeding....shrimp pellets! Fast and easy. Plus, mine will go after frozen mysian shrimp or anything else in the water column.
Meadbhb
 
shep77

shep77

Member
Thanks Meadbhb, I have thought about shrimp as well, just had not asked yet. :) We will just have to see how it all goes!
 
shep77

shep77

Member
When I did cichlids I tried to do mini systems. Fish that would normally be found together, etc. Ideally even though I would not see them a lot, I would like to do a pistol shrimp and a gobie of some sort.
 
meadbhb

meadbhb

Member
Hiya,
I'm tossing around the pistol/goby pairing too. Not sure yet. Torn between putting an angel and six line in my tank or a six line and boy. Sigh....these will be my last fish for the tank, so I've got to think on it.
Meadbh
 
techshredd

techshredd

Member
i bought a horseshe crab like an idiot i put in there and it buried itself havent seen it since been bout a month .what a waste of money and hes eating good stuff in the sand bed i thoguht they cleaned up food and stuff.i would stay away from them.for all i know its dead i dont wanna search y sand bed to find out tho
 
shep77

shep77

Member
If you look on this site, no offense, but they make it sound like these are mini versions and will not grow to be all that big which is the reason I thought of them. I could handle a 3" specimen...
 
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