WARNING!! sally lightfoot crabs....

[spike_501]

this is a rare find usually, but a friend of mine kept one of these crabs and after about 3 months it died, and we had one and it lasted for about 2 months in our 88 gallon tank, i think that these rare species are rare for a reason and should be left on the reef and i would suggest they are a hard to keep species. has anyone else attempted keeping these? if so post how long they survived for as it may save someone from buying and losing one

 

[effloresce]

they arent rare, and i have had one for 6 months now, and a guy in my local reef club has had about 3-4 for 3 years

 

[buzz]

They also aren't really hard to keep. Maybe an occasional spot feed, but they generally will pick algae, etc. from the rockwork.
I had one that died after a year and one I have now had for 2 years and it is going strong.
I would suspect there was either something out of whack in your friend's levels (and yours), or you happened to buy either a sick or old crab.
Sometimes things die...

 

[mbowker]

on the contrary, I have had a sallylight foot in my tank for several years before. They are very hardy. I would suspect of the place your buying them if they arnt living, they must be acclimated properly, as with any crab or shrimp, they are sensitive to changes. Drip them and they are fine.

 

[ogdog30]

are you sure your talking about a sally lightfoot? If not, find out what it is and tell us

 

[spike_501]

ok, looks like i was wrong then! iv only ever seen this crab once in the shops and this was the one i bought, it just seemed that the only two people that i knew that had one lost them after a few months so i thought they was hard to keep

 

[chiefy47]

I use RO/DI water and all of my paramaters are fine. 90 gallon reef with 135 lbs live rock, hermit crabs, snails, soft corals, mushrooms, camel shrimp and a coral banded shrimp. All doing well and no fish in the tank.
Both of my Sallly Lightfoot crabs died within 2 months for no apparent reason. Looking good and eating like crazy and then dead within a few days of each other for no apparent reason.
I bought from Saltwater Fish and believe that their quality is good so I dont think that the store is teh issue.
Any advice is much appreciated.
Thank you.
Chiefy47

 

[lighteningthes]

Our sally is about one, has molted 4 times and going strong. We had some sort of water malfuntion that killed all but 3 fish, the sally and other critters survived.

 

[flower]

I bought 2 sally lightfoot crabs...the larger one lost some legs (eaten?..I don't know what happened, it disappeared) However the smaller one after about a month disappeared too...when I went to move my tank..there it was. Must ave been in the rocks all that time. I see it every now and again...
I found out later that they are not reef safe after they get big...how am I gonna catch that bugger??? It is fast and hard to spot. I thought it would be fine since SWF.com sells them as part of the reef packages ?????

Be glad yours died.

 

[meowzer]

FLOWER...LOL....You are getting cold.....
I had a couple...I say had...cause as with most crabs I put in my 225g they disappear....I think my sting ray is a crab eater..LOL

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3098800
FLOWER...LOL....You are getting cold.....
I had a couple...I say had...cause as with most crabs I put in my 225g they disappear....I think my sting ray is a crab eater..LOL

I am not cold ... LOL ...
I have a small fortune in coral and those things eat them! I can't catch it. It is flat as a pancake and blends in with the rocks. Can I sue SWF.com??? If it gets big and eats my coral will they replace them??? Of coarse not, but why put them in a reef package???

If anything eats my coral it is a dead critter...I just have to catch it without killing my corals that are all attached to the rock I can't dismantle. For a $10.00 crab I have endangered my corals...I am not happy with SWF over this.

 

[meowzer]

A different place says this...and it is also offered in their REEF package....
The Sally Lightfoot Crab is also known as the Nimble Spray, Short, or Urchin Crab. It has a brown body, with orange to yellow rings on the legs. It actually belongs to a family of shore crabs, however, it is less likely than the other genera to go on land. Its carapace is very flat. which allows it to hide in small crevices within rock work.
It prefers a strong current and will require a large aquarium with large amounts of rock work where it can hide and scavenge for detritus. It will also eat algae. When large, it can become aggressive and catch and eat small invertebrates and fish.
Has it actually eaten your corals? Or have you heard it might??

 

[meowzer]

Reef Suitability: The Sally Lightfoot is a good scavenger for reef tanks. They are primarily algae eaters and spend the day constantly picking at the live rock. They are very active tank inhabitants.
Disposition: Generally get along well with other tank inhabitants and other Sally Lightfoot crabs. Being very active creatures, they tend to walk over corals and disturb them at times, but this does not cause any damage. They will also compete aggressively with other animals for food.
Feeding: They spend the day foraging for algae and misc. scraps that may come their way. As with all scavengers, Sally Lightfoot crabs are opportunistic feeders and may be guilty of eating sick or injured fish. There is some evidence that larger specimens may become eaters of healthy fish or shrimp, but more likely the specimen had already died before the crab got a hold of it and all the hobbyist sees is a crab with a dead specimen in its claws.
Hardiness: Very hardy. Sometimes may have problems with molting the shell. Lack of adequate iodine in the water may lead to this condition.
Temperature: Does well within normal reef tank temperature ranges of 75-84°F.
Another site

 

[coral keeper]

I had a crab climb out of my 8 gallon biocube when I first started out in the hobby. Found it dried up on the floor. LOL

 

[fishkid13]

This thread is from 2005 so I don't think the OP is going to care so much...jk.
I have heard of sally's getting big enought to eat large showfish. (tang's, butterflys, etc). Just my .03.

 

[meowzer]

Originally Posted by fishkid13
http:///forum/post/3098823
This thread is from 2005 so I don't think the OP is going to care so much...jk.
I have heard of sally's getting big enought to eat large showfish. (tang's, butterflys, etc). Just my .03.
Yes, but have you heard of one eating corals????

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3098827
Yes, but have you heard of one eating corals????
Here is a detail from my invert book...Hope you can ead it.
It took my a few minutes to scan the page and figure out where I put in the files..LOL

 

[renogaw]

Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3098827
Yes, but have you heard of one eating corals????
if hungry enough yup.
My sally light foot was put in the tank about 5 months ago. It skirted the water top until it hit the built in overflow. It has not once left my back wall of the tank or the overflow. it's gotta be the stupidest SLF out there.

 

[meowzer]

HMMM...Interesting....How funny that the few sites and web pages I clicked on all said Reef safe...LOL...
ANYWAY..LOL...Has it eaten any of your corals Flower???? You can always build a trap...lol

 

[mr.clownfish]

mine is 3 years old now. it is the easiest invert i have ever kept. it eats algae in my tank and any food floating buy it.