Gotcha!! Look what I caught...

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MagicMarker

MagicMarker

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Caught this guy last night on 1st try! Just leaned the glass up against the live rock he was hanging out in just before the lights went out, and placed some mysis in the bottom of the glass. By morning he was waiting on me. Is it a gorilla crab? Or maybe just a black emerald? I’d love your opinions ID’ing him. Either way, he’s being sentenced to life in my sump. Don’t believe I lost any coral to him, but over the past year I’ve had numerous anthias, chromis, and recently a mandarin disappear. Coincidentally, the anthias and the chromis are my only fish who liked to sleep inside my pukani, which is where he lurked. So what is he? Thanks in advance!
AD19ACC7-2C5F-426F-8D0E-5A153E154FE9.jpeg
 
BRS
Top Shelf Aquatics
DeniseAndy said:
I am no expert, but I would guess a black mithrax. Sump him for now and he will do fine there too.
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Thx. Yep, that’s my plan. I also wonder where he came from. My guesses...
1) A couple yrs ago I did put in 3 small emeralds, but they were all the typical green color.
2) I also put in a large birds nest frag that had a lil crab in it, but it was kinda white pinkish. The birds nest died and the crab disappeared, or did he?
3) Also possible he was just an unnoticed hitchhiker on something else.
 
Deltec
najer said:
I would put it back, just looks like a mithrax / emerald to me, my big black one is about 40 - 50 mm across the shell now! ;)
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Holy crap I thought mine was big!! That’s what he looks like to me too, but even if it’s not a threat to my coral, I still think almost any crab of these sizes would (and has) appreciate a nice fish dinner when he can get it.
 
Ecoscape Reef Rock
Great little crab have one in my tank. My local shop got in a shipment of coral. I went in the shop and it was sitting in a container waiting for its death. So I bagged it took it home and put it in my display.
 
SAPPER said:
Great little crab have one in my tank. My local shop got in a shipment of coral. I went in the shop and it was sitting in a container waiting for its death. So I bagged it took it home and put it in my display.
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Hmmm. Now ur making me wonder. You’ve never had any small fish go missing?
 
No and the smallest fish its in with is a Trimma Cana in my 4ft, but the Trimma has its spot and the crab goes near that are. All the fish I have could easily be taken down for its size. Its been in for just over a year and been ok.
 
SAPPER said:
No and the smallest fish its in with is a Trimma Cana in my 4ft, but the Trimma has its spot and the crab goes near that are. All the fish I have could easily be taken down for its size. Its been in for just over a year and been ok.
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Thx for the replies!
 
Nutramar Foods
It sounds like he was one of the light green emeralds you put in a while back. Mine did the same thing started out as small light green emerald and now is a 2.5” jet black crab. I have never been able to get close to him. He is in a 200 full reef and way too much stuff to take out. He is a model citizen and I have several small goby’s and mandarins and they all get close to him and he’s fine. He only hangs out under caves and rocks and comes out to eat when I feed the tank. It’s now 3 years in my tank and never lost anything to him. If I could catch him I would put in the sump to be safe but I can’t so I’m not tearing my tank apart to get him out.
 
MagicMarker said:
Holy crap I thought mine was big!! That’s what he looks like to me too, but even if it’s not a threat to my coral, I still think almost any crab of these sizes would (and has) appreciate a nice fish dinner when he can get it.
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I have 2 cm size baby clowns and a few gobies, I've never thought of it as a threat, if it gets clumsy it can dislodge 3 - 4 inch corals sometimes though! ;)
 
BRS
azreeftank said:
It sounds like he was one of the light green emeralds you put in a while back. Mine did the same thing started out as small light green emerald and now is a 2.5” jet black crab. I have never been able to get close to him. He is in a 200 full reef and way too much stuff to take out. He is a model citizen and I have several small goby’s and mandarins and they all get close to him and he’s fine. He only hangs out under caves and rocks and comes out to eat when I feed the tank. It’s now 3 years in my tank and never lost anything to him. If I could catch him I would put in the sump to be safe but I can’t so I’m not tearing my tank apart to get him out.
Click to expand...
Thx!
 
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