Anemone Crab? Good or Bad?

[porschetins]

Just wondering if this guy is good or bad? He's been hanging out on this stag for a couple months. It doesn't seem like he's doing any damage but i thought i'd check.

 

[revsgirl]

:bump2:

 

[Otter_rs]

Looks like what people call a Gorilla Crab. I would get him out just in case. They can cause you headaches as they get bigger.


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[User Name]

This crab is from the Cymo genus. Likely Cymomelanodactylus . It's a type of acro crab. They do eat the flesh of sps corals. If the coral is large or healthy any damage this guy will cause will heal. If a coral is unhealthy or small colony, it might cause more harm then it can deal with. If you don't see any damage, i would say leave it. They will keep the coral clean. They live and stay in sps corals. So, he should be easy to find if you do decide to take him out.

 

[Greg@LionfishLair]

Those little guys will actually defend their coral. Back when Renee was weaning her OSFF, we used browned-out acros from a friend who had a coral biz, and one of them had a crab in it. It would chase the OSFF away from its little coral each time they came to nibble.

 

[User Name]

Oops. There should be a space between the two names i provided. Should be Cymo melanodactylus.

 

[Otter_rs]

I've never had a coral symbiont that looked quite like that before, but then again, it's kind of a blurry pic. and there are many kinds. Not to mention, you can't see it's behavior. If it is a coral crab, that's great, let him be for sure. They are really cool to watch.


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[Greg@LionfishLair]

I've never had a coral symbiont that looked quite like that before, but then again, it's kind of a blurry pic. and there are many kinds. Not to mention, you can't see it's behavior. If it is a coral crab, that's great, let him be for sure. They are really cool to watch.Sent Via the R2R Forum
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The photo is kinda blurry, and going back and seeing the black tips on its claws give me pause that it may be a stone crab or as you say, a gorilla crab.

porchetins,

Is the entire body hairy?
What color are its eyes?

 

[porschetins]

Yes his entire body is hairy and he has white eyes. he just hangs out in that coral and sort of pick at it. and yes he does defend it against anything else that comes near it. lol.

 

[slapshot]

That's a bad crab! Not a good acro crab. Stab him, he will harm your coral. You can see where he has been peeling off the skin

 

[Dragonreef202]

Get him out. All it takes is one night and they can do alot of damage. If you do have one stick him in the sump. I had one he destroyed about 15 polyps, star polyps, and this was all in one night. Had hm in one tank and decided to put him in another and it was like a smorgasborg for him. 75 gallons of snacking territory. He's a cleanup crew of the worse kind.