freshwater or high salinity dip? PLEASE HELP!

[TopClamSkoo]

Hey All

Got a really friendly member here trying to help me with my dilemma.

But I also wanted to ask ya'll what you guys think..

I have some Aussie live rock for the last 1+month. Everything is cycled well and doing fine!

Tank - 10 gallon AIO UNS tank. 7 pounds of aussie rock.
Livestock I currently have is: Neon Dottyback, Snails, Serpent star, Tiger conch. Lots of mini brittle stars I got free from another member, he also hooked me up with some mushrooms and zoas. Other than that, my tank is bare with nothing attached to the live rock. So these are the guys im trying to keep alive.

That being said... I have been battling in trying to get a gorilla crab out. Saw him several weeks ago. tried the shot glass method. Did not work... Never came out to eat the stinky shrimp. Tried the bottle method last night. My dottyback kept getting caught in it and my serpent star keeps messing with the bottle. moving it around away from the cave where that lil crab lurks around. Oh yeah. I think I discovered another crab too wandering around this morning at dawn.

Without causing a mini cycle to occur considering I have some livestock... How can I get this done?

High salinity dip for 1 min or freshwater dip for 20 min? A very helpful member here is advising me to go freshwater.

I really want to preserve the brittle stars on the rocks. Other few pieces of corals I have, serpent star, and fish can stay in the tank while I do this... but just scared that if I do either dips... a cycle may happen, kill my mini brittle stars and kill fish, etc once I put the live rock back into the display after dipping...

Please help...

Or maybe just live with the crab lol!

 

[TopClamSkoo]

Any suggestions?

 

[Cali Reef Life]

I would not do a 20 minute dip you risk a lot of things dying off with that. I would invest in a red flash light and long tweezers I caught a crab in a 75 gallon tank by going in at night. It took me a few days to catch him but I tried at different times and after 3 attempts caught him.

 

[TopClamSkoo]

I would not do a 20 minute dip you risk a lot of things dying off with that. I would invest in a red flash light and long tweezers I caught a crab in a 75 gallon tank by going in at night. It took me a few days to catch him but I tried at different times and after 3 attempts caught him.

so they always come out at night? I know where this lil ******* lives now lol! I used to see him behind the rocks 1+ month ago and he disappeared. Yesterday I saw him hanging out in a cave at the bottom and saw him again this morning roaming around at dawn. tried to smash him but he disappeared again... probably in the cave.

Like i said. tried the shot glass method. FAIL. Tried the inverted bottle... Serpent star and dottyback kept on messing with/disturbing the trap.

Are they fast when u tried to tweeze him?

thanks!

 

[TopClamSkoo]

I would not do a 20 minute dip you risk a lot of things dying off with that. I would invest in a red flash light and long tweezers I caught a crab in a 75 gallon tank by going in at night. It took me a few days to catch him but I tried at different times and after 3 attempts caught him.

How bout a high salinity dip for a minute? would that be as risky?

what time did you hunt? after midnight?

thanks!

 

[Cali Reef Life]

Answered in the PM on the steps!

 

[Fishnut]

After all else failed I took out the live rock that my crab was hiding in and placed it in a bucket with 2” of tank water. After about two hours he let go of the rock and was on the bottom of the bucket. While waiting for the crab to let go, I poured a cup of tank water over the rock every 15 minutes to keep it and the life on it alive. Mini brittle stars survived and no ammonia spike.

 

[TopClamSkoo]

After all else failed I took out the live rock that my crab was hiding in and placed it in a bucket with 2” of tank water. After about two hours he let go of the rock and was on the bottom of the bucket. While waiting for the crab to let go, I poured a cup of tank water over the rock every 15 minutes to keep it and the life on it alive. Mini brittle stars survived and no ammonia spike.

gotcha gotcha. thats one method without fear of nuking the whole tank!

 

[jabberwock]

I have this aqua scaping kit. Lots of potential crab remedies here. You don't have to tweeze it, you can chop it or lance it. Brand is Mandala.

 

[TopClamSkoo]

I have this aqua scaping kit. Lots of potential crab remedies here. You don't have to tweeze it, you can chop it or lance it. Brand is Mandala.

yeah... just got a red flashlight and curved tweezers. Gonna try that first... if that doesnt help then maybe ill do what

Fishnut suggested.​

 

[jabberwock]

yeah... just got a red flashlight and curved tweezers. Gonna try that first... if that doesnt help then maybe ill do what

Fishnut suggested.​

Don't mess around if you get a kill shot...