Hitchhiker baby crab?

[1epauletteshark]

I was sitting at my desk last night and saw this little crab crawling pet of my live rock and I did some research and I looked like it might be a baby teddy bear crab? I am not sure and would appreciate some help in identifying him. Also is this a good or bad hitchhiker?

(I know it’s hard to see in the video but he is very elusive and that is the best footage I have sorry)

 

[JoJosReef]

You're in luck. I'd put money down that that is a porcelain crab. I noted waving fans, a claw structure similar to porcelains and nem 'false' crabs, and it's movement around the rocks is highly reminiscent of my green porcelain.

Edit: hard to tell the coloration, so no idea what kind it is. Also, if you get a better shot of it, see if it has only 6 legs instead of 8 (excluding the claws, and if you see two foldable leg-like appendages in the rear, don't count that either).

Edit 2: great hitchhiker! Add some filter feeder food to the tank! Or teach it how to eat pellets right from your pipette!

 

[1epauletteshark]

You're in luck. I'd put money down that that is a porcelain crab. I noted waving fans, a claw structure similar to porcelains and nem 'false' crabs, and it's movement around the rocks is highly reminiscent of my green porcelain.

Edit: hard to tell the coloration, so no idea what kind it is. Also, if you get a better shot of it, see if it has only 6 legs instead of 8 (excluding the claws, and if you see two foldable leg-like appendages in the rear, don't count that either).

Edit 2: great hitchhiker! Add some filter feeder food to the tank! Or teach it how to eat pellets right from your pipette!

Thank you so much! Will it be harmful to my fish? (I haven’t gotten them yet) or my bubble tip anemone (that I also haven’t gotten yet) and finally what is filter feeder food? Sorry I am really new and this is my first marine tank.

 

[damsels are not mean]

Yep porcelain crab totally harmless I keep them even with half inch gobies. They feed whenever you feed the fish, just give a little extra. Otherwise they scavenge. Don't worry about feeding them specifically.

 

[1epauletteshark]

Yep porcelain crab totally harmless I keep them even with half inch gobies. They feed whenever you feed the fish, just give a little extra. Otherwise they scavenge. Don't worry about feeding them specifically.

I am going to use frozen mysis shrimp thats ok right?

 

[BigBundee69]

I was sitting at my desk last night and saw this little crab crawling pet of my live rock and I did some research and I looked like it might be a baby teddy bear crab? I am not sure and would appreciate some help in identifying him. Also is this a good or bad hitchhiker?

(I know it’s hard to see in the video but he is very elusive and that is the best footage I have sorry)

Looks like a little emerald crab

 

[damsels are not mean]

I am going to use frozen mysis shrimp thats ok right?

yep

 

[1epauletteshark]

Another hitchhiker… crab?

 

[1epauletteshark]

It looks like a crab but I can’t get a photo because it’s under the live rock in a dark area but it has these almost feather things at the top of its from legs and it is scooping the water with its feathers and eating whatever it is catching

 

[1epauletteshark]

99% sure it’s a crab

 

[1epauletteshark]

About a centimeter big

 

[1epauletteshark]

I am just feeding the tank for the first time and all these new hitchhikers are coming out

 

[1epauletteshark]

Emerald crab…? No definitely not…

 

[1epauletteshark]

Here is the other weirder one (the one with the weird feather things I was talking about before)

 

[1epauletteshark]

If anyone could help me identify these little guys i would be very grateful

 

[Cantusaurus]

The feathers means it is a porcelain crab for sure. As someone else pointed out they are completely harmless. They're one of my favorite crabs since they will not harm corals and fish at all. They scavenge and filter feed. I know there are several species of porcelain crabs, but they are all similar. I know some really enjoy anemones to live in and around. I know the lighter colored porcelain crabs inhabit anemones.

As far as the other crab, it's pretty difficult to tell. Might be an emerald crab.

 

[Cantusaurus]

There are crabs that live symbiotically with corals. Usually the Trapezius crabs, those are definitely harmless.
It's hard to tell if that is one of those crabs.

 

[1epauletteshark]

The feathers means it is a porcelain crab for sure. As someone else pointed out they are completely harmless. They're one of my favorite crabs since they will not harm corals and fish at all. They scavenge and filter feed. I know there are several species of porcelain crabs, but they are all similar. I know some really enjoy anemones to live in and around. I know the lighter colored porcelain crabs inhabit anemones.

As far as the other crab, it's pretty difficult to tell. Might be an emerald crab.

thank you so much the other crab has one claw much larger than the other as in i didnt even see the other

 

[1epauletteshark]

The feathers means it is a porcelain crab for sure. As someone else pointed out they are completely harmless. They're one of my favorite crabs since they will not harm corals and fish at all. They scavenge and filter feed. I know there are several species of porcelain crabs, but they are all similar. I know some really enjoy anemones to live in and around. I know the lighter colored porcelain crabs inhabit anemones.

As far as the other crab, it's pretty difficult to tell. Might be an emerald crab.

It really doesn’t looks like an emerald crab but I will do some more reasearch

 

[Tired]

That wonkiness can happen if they lose a claw. They'll regain it during molts, but it may take several molts, leaving them lopsided.

If you see a crab that has those very flat claws and the weird feathers, it's a porcelain crab. Not true crabs, and they are 100% reef-safe and harmless to anything larger than a mysis shrimp.