emerald crab vs pocillipora

[treesprite]

I thought emerald crabs are supposed to be reef safe?????!!!

 

I just got home to find an emerald crab all over my green pocillipora frag, and almost all the polyps are gone - the coral is bare to the skeleton! Looks like there's a few missing from the pink as well!

 

The emerald crabs will be living in my office starting tomorrow.

 

I was all happy that the frags were doing well, that my first attempt at having them didn't immediately lead to their demise. Shoot!!! Stupid crab!!!

[lancer99]

I thought emerald crabs are supposed to be reef safe?????!!!

 

 

I read on ReefCentral that all emerald crabs are only safe up to about 1/2". YMMV.

 

But all crabs are opportunistic feeders and will eat anything they can get their little claws on, especially as they get larger.

 

Not to hijack your thread, but can anyone tell me which hermits are the best (i.e. won't kill snails?)

 

-R

[treesprite]

I read on ReefCentral that all emerald crabs are only safe up to about 1/2". YMMV.

 

But all crabs are opportunistic feeders and will eat anything they can get their little claws on, especially as they get larger.

 

Not to hijack your thread, but can anyone tell me which hermits are the best (i.e. won't kill snails?)

 

-R

 

this one is about an inch - maybe that's the problem, and if so, I can leave the really small one at home (hard to find anyway - fits into all kinds of little holes)

 

Hermits will kill snails if they are looking for shells - you need to have empty shells in the tank. Some will kill each other for shells. Avoid blue leg hermits especially.

[lancer99]

I had more empty shells than snails in my old 75 gallon tank, especially after the hermits killed most of my snails, but that didn't end their killing spree!

 

Granted I didn't feed that tank very much, so maybe that was the problem.

 

I keep getting conflicting advice...this type of hermit won't kill snails, that type won't.....if they're lefthanded they're okay, if they're left-brain dominant maybe not....

 

LOL, I made up that last part. I'm beginning to think it's better to just go with a shedload of snails and make sure they can mop up the algae before it gets too long.

 

-R

[treesprite]

I had more empty shells than snails in my old 75 gallon tank, especially after the hermits killed most of my snails, but that didn't end their killing spree!

 

Granted I didn't feed that tank very much, so maybe that was the problem.

 

I keep getting conflicting advice...this type of hermit won't kill snails, that type won't.....if they're lefthanded they're okay, if they're left-brain dominant maybe not....

 

LOL, I made up that last part. I'm beginning to think it's better to just go with a shedload of snails and make sure they can mop up the algae before it gets too long.

 

-R

 

now see, emerald crabs are awesome on algae - can't be beat - and wont kill your snails, but see now there's a problem because they seem to have a liking for sps. I have a huge mass of chaeto floating in the tank waiting till I get my sump/fuge going, and while the little emerald has been perched in that mass enjoying it, this bigger emerald just decided it wasn't good enough for him. He had plenty to eat. I came in the door and as always, first thing I did was look at the tank and the crab was plucking away :(

 

So what does anyone have to say about the future of the poci? Do you think it will grow back its polyps?

Edited October 9, 2007 by treesprite

[YBeNormal]

It may not grow back the missing polyps but if there are any living areas left on the coral, it will continue to grow and be back to full size eventually.

 

I have a couple of emeralds in my tank with various corals including pocillipora. They have both been model citizens. If one acts up in the future, he will be relegated to the sump but I have no issues with them or the red leg hermits bothering coral or snails.

[treesprite]

I just finished fishing through the tank for that crab (yeah, wee hours of the morning when I haven't been to bed yet) and I can't find it, so I won't be able to take it with me to work in a few hours.

[lanman]

I just finished fishing through the tank for that crab (yeah, wee hours of the morning when I haven't been to bed yet) and I can't find it, so I won't be able to take it with me to work in a few hours.

Silly girl... 6:00 AM and you've been up all night chasing a crab? All I had to do to catch mine was wave a piece of silversides around. When he grabbed the fish, I grabbed the crab. He's in the sump for killing snails, though - not corals.

 

bob

[treesprite]

Silly girl... 6:00 AM and you've been up all night chasing a crab? All I had to do to catch mine was wave a piece of silversides around. When he grabbed the fish, I grabbed the crab. He's in the sump for killing snails, though - not corals.

 

bob

 

I was up all night doing other meaningless things, and when I was just about to go to bed I was still obsessing and wanted to catch the crab to bring to work so that I wouldn't make myself late.

 

The this morning around 11:15 I was looking for it again, after trying to mess with a powerhead that needs something to hold it better than suction cups. There was a major sand storm, and I'm glad those pocis are both up on the highest point so the sand didn't get to them when they're already messed up. There was a big sand pile that stopped abrubtly within 1/4 inch of a really small elegance coral frag - not even a grain on the frag. The fish were going nuts. Needless to say, I was a half hour late for work (was supposed to be here at 12).

 

I spied the crab finally right as I was putting the lights back on top of the tank and knew if I tried to catch it I would have a hard time explaining being an hour late due to going crabbing, so I left it.

[lanman]

I was up all night doing other meaningless things, and when I was just about to go to bed I was still obsessing and wanted to catch the crab to bring to work so that I wouldn't make myself late.

 

The this morning around 11:15 I was looking for it again, after trying to mess with a powerhead that needs something to hold it better than suction cups. There was a major sand storm, and I'm glad those pocis are both up on the highest point so the sand didn't get to them when they're already messed up. There was a big sand pile that stopped abrubtly within 1/4 inch of a really small elegance coral frag - not even a grain on the frag. The fish were going nuts. Needless to say, I was a half hour late for work (was supposed to be here at 12).

 

I spied the crab finally right as I was putting the lights back on top of the tank and knew if I tried to catch it I would have a hard time explaining being an hour late due to going crabbing, so I left it.

 

suction cups... they work - and then they don't work. Clean the surface very well, clean the cups very well, and it seems like if it stays for a week, it's good for 6 months. And then one day the rubber starts to deteriorate... and it falls again. Go for magnets.

 

bob

[bprinehart]

I thought emerald crabs are supposed to be reef safe?????!!!

 

I just got home to find an emerald crab all over my green pocillipora frag, and almost all the polyps are gone - the coral is bare to the skeleton! Looks like there's a few missing from the pink as well!

 

The emerald crabs will be living in my office starting tomorrow.

 

I was all happy that the frags were doing well, that my first attempt at having them didn't immediately lead to their demise. Shoot!!! Stupid crab!!!

 

I have a Red Ridged Clinging Crab (Mithrax Forceps) which are pretty much identical to emerald crabs, we have had our ups and downs. I banished him to the fuge (before there was anything in there except some chaeto) for about 3 weeks after I caught him eating my Kenya Tree. Then I decided that I missed the little **** and his algae removal services so back in the display tank he went. He really is a terrific part of the cleanup crew, but the second I catch him nipping at any of my sps or lps, he's gone for sure.

 

He's just too comical. I added a candy cane frag the other day, and there was some algae around the base of the frag plug, he must have pulled the plug closer to his little nook he was hiding in. When I came back into the room I noticed the plug had moved, so I readjusted it and decided to see who the culprit was, and sure enough, suddenly a patch of coralline came to life (he camouflages very well into the rocks) a little claw reached over and pulls the plug back over to the rock and begins chomping away on the algae again. He didn't touch the polyps, so I decided to let him keep it there until later in the day after he had picked the algae clean.

 

It's hard to hate them when they really have neat personalites.

 

Good luck with yours Forrest, I'm sure it will work out, no matter where he ends up.

Edited October 10, 2007 by bprinehart

[treesprite]

I never moved the emerald crab out because I caught no more of this, but in the past week I caught it picking the poccilopora again AND NOW zoanthids!!

 

I picked up the one poci frag and the crab just hung onto it and wouldn't let go... should have taken the monster out of the tank then but I didn't want it in a cup or something overnight. Now I will have trouble catching it.

 

I'll ask again, has ANYONE else had a problem like this or is this crab a freak?

 

I was going to bring it to my job before, but now that I see it picking on zoanthids, I will most likely not be doing that.

[Rascal]

Tree:

 

I have had a couple of emerald crabs that I suspected of picking on zoanthids, but only when they got really big. I wasn't able to catch either one but both died soon after they seemed to develop the appetite for zoas. Never had one go after sps that I know of.

 

I think emeralds are kind of like pygmy angels -- different individuals have different tastes. Some eat corals, some don't. "Reef safe with caution" I think is how they describe species like this.

Edited December 8, 2007 by Rascal