what is this?!?!?!?!

[norcal]

i got some sand from the beach. it must be a sand flea or crab or whatever you want to call it. it must be from the live sand i picked up from the beach. thanks for the ID.

 

[clown123]

when i go too the beach i see those guys runnig right threw the sand when a wave comes i use too dig them up with my cousin lol.

 

[reefer123]

are they good for a reef?
i have them all over my beaches.
i also have a DSB (4")
do they stir the sand bed up alot?

 

[popnfrresh]

Yes are these safe for the tank? IDC if they are reef safe but are they good for a tank (unlike mantis shrimp) i live in jersey and cant wait until the next summer to collect some...
Any other locals that can be put in the tank. Ie clams, oysters ?

 

[divetroop]

It's a Sand Crab. I had some in my tank for awhile but they parished. They like cold water and are filter feeders. Out here in California, you can dig them out of the sand with a bucket and get them by the handful. I wouldn't recommend them being in a tank. Hard to keep and will eventually die.

 

[jdragunas]

strange that they like cold water, yet they are found on the seashores... the shore water is the warmest there is...

 

[norcal]

hmmmmm.....i keep my tank at 78-80 and i am currently treating my tank with copper (level is .25) to kill my ich. these guys are inverts right, so how is he surviving in my tank? by the way i got my sand from the beach and i live in hawaii. so i dont know about them needing cold water.

 

[jdragunas]

hmmm... by all accounts, this guy shouldn't be living... it definately is an invert, so the copper should've killed him. Maybe this particular invert has a high tolerance for copper?

 

[ifusayso]

Originally Posted by clown123
when i go too the beach i see those guys runnig right threw the sand when a wave comes i use too dig them up with my cousin lol.

Me too. We would keep them in buckets of the sea water and play with them. We put them back when we left.

 

[rubberduck]

Originally Posted by norcal
??
its actualy called a mole crab, they sell them on this site too. should be a good sand shifter

 

[popnfrresh]

Hmmm 8$ per each when i can drive down to the beach in the summer and get as many as i want....

 

[norcal]

yup i think you are right....i google mole crab and i think we have a winner. it looks slightly different but i think the ones i saw were from the mainland US. maybe they look a little different out here i dont know. any theories on how this guy is alive in my copper treated tank?