Small open brain ate my emerald crab last night

[miggs76]

Title says it all.....before I went to bed I wondered why the open brain was so inflated. When I got up and looked in the tank I saw two claws hanging out of the mouth of the open brain. It was a small emerald, but the open brain is only 2.5 inches long.

Edited May 24, 2012 by miggs76

[Ryan S]

I am really conflicted on how to reply to this. On the one hand, I want to say sorry for your loss, but on the other hand, I want to say, wow, that's really kind of cool!

[miggs76]

I am really conflicted on how to reply to this. On the one hand, I want to say sorry for your loss, but on the other hand, I want to say, wow, that's really kind of cool!

 

 

I'm thinking its pretty cool except I'm out 10 bucks for a new emerald crab........bought it to eat bubble algae, but it hasn't touched it so maybe my next one will do a better job.

[tightline]

maybe u should train u brain to eat it lmoa (sorry crabby)

[DaveS]

Sure it was the actual crab and not a molted shell?

[Chad]

^I second that as IMO, it's more likely the case.

 

Now, that being said, I have seen brain corals eat fish before (it usually seems to be clowns tring to host). So it is possible, but with a healthy crab (or fish for that matter), the animal is more likely to avoid the coral.

[extreme_tooth_decay]

Most of the problems I have in life are related in some way to small brains.

[jaddc]

+1 on the molt. The crabs always hide out for a few days after a molt. Other way to look at it is that the crab died prior to being consumed by the coral. I just can't imagine any coral eating a live crab.

[JLW]

I had my brain coral eat my Yasha goby that had been using it as a perch. It was regularly sitting in the brain coral, and I never thought anything of it. Then, it simply vanished, and the brain coral had this big goby-eating-grin on its face. . . .

[miggs76]

I really wish it was the shell....but it wasnt.......i have some pics that ill post later..

[miggs76]

Well here you go.......I just used tweezers to gently take the crab out......it was the crab, not a molted shell :(

[hypertech]

Unless you cracked it open and saw meat, it was probably a molt. They are very convincing.

[DaveS]

let's wait few days and see of the crab reappears.

[treesprite]

I hate emerald crabs. They can easily go rogue on you. A point to remember about emerald crabs and bubble algae, is that often the crab pops the bubbles which causes the algae to spread rather than keeping it under control.

[miggs76]

a week later....no crab....it wasn't his molt, that open brain ate him live....:(

[jaddc]

Wow!