Anemone crab worries

[happyhourhero]

i added a white porcelain crab and it moved into my big green bta that hosts my clowns. I am worried it doesn’t eat. It stays near the anemones mouth deep within the tentacles. I never see it feeding. Do you think it’s getting food in there?

 

[Diesel]

It takes his food from the water column with it's web style claws

 

[happyhourhero]

Right but since it’s deep in the anemone always I have never once seen it come out to use its “nets”

 

[Diesel]

They don’t want you to see it

 

[Coral Passion]

Unfortunately the clowns will most likely not be to pleased and will harass it which will lead to stress and a unhealthy crab. In time it will probably get tired of the harassment and move and may disappears or die.

 

[happyhourhero]

The nem it is in is pretty big and the clowns don’t bother it. It could easily move one rock over to a saucer sized pizza anemone.

 

[happyhourhero]

I just wonder if it is snatching food from the nem when it tries to eat?

 

[Coral Passion]

The nem it is in is pretty big and the clowns don’t bother it. It could easily move one rock over to a saucer sized pizza anemone.

Yeah my clowns didn't bother it at first and after a few months started to pick on it. It moved to a smaller anemone and the clowns then decided to host that one. Eventually it move to some GSP and disappeared after a few months. It may still be alive as I always spot bits of the claws in the substrate.

 

[davocean]

Usually clowns tolerate porcelain crabs just fine.

They are filter feeders, no need to worry

 

[Katrina71]

Is there something special you'd feed an anemone crab? I read they commonly starve due to a lack of zooplankton. Would nutricell work?

 

[kirstyflash]

Is there something special you'd feed an anemone crab? I read they commonly starve due to a lack of zooplankton. Would nutracell work?

We have 3 females and depends on their size. The smallest one gets frozen rotifers and/or the pictures frozen food. My female clown attacked her and ripped off her claws so all she has is her fans to catch food.

^little ‘Toughie’ before her fight with the clown

^the bigger get frozen mysis. This is ‘Lucy Whiteclaw’, the other one ‘Big claw’ was hiding. She and Lucy recently had a falling out and Lucy forcibly removed one of Bigs claws. They all get target fed and come out for the the tip of the pipette, sometimes grabbing it.

 

[davocean]

I've never personally worried about feeding them myself, does not seem to be an issue IME, but possibly a super sterile tank may need help I guess

 

[kirstyflash]

We have 3 females and depends on their size. The smallest one gets frozen rotifers and/or the pictures frozen food. My female clown attacked her and ripped off her claws so all she has is her fans to catch food.

^little ‘Toughie’ before her fight with the clown

^the bigger get frozen mysis. This is ‘Lucy Whiteclaw’, the other one ‘Big claw’ was hiding. She and Lucy recently had a falling out and Lucy forcibly removed one of Bigs claws. They all get target fed and come out for the the tip of the pipette, sometimes grabbing it.

Big Claw came out of hiding

 

[kinetic]

Interesting, I never fed my anemone crabs and they lasted quite awhile (though to be fair, they lived in my anthias species tank, which gets a ridiculous amount of food).

My current tank no longer has a filter sock / filter media so there's poop and bits flowing everywhere all the time. I hope that it's enough to sustain the crab without additional feeding.