Hitchhiker baby crab?

[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

Oh yeah the wierd one is 10000% a porcelain crab i saw the wiskers

 

[1epauletteshark]

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.

sexy shrimp are fine?

 

[1epauletteshark]

Wait but what about the other larger crab

 

[Tired]

If the other crab is indeed a true crab rather than a porcelain crab, it's likely not reef safe. Try a bottle trap.

If your sexy shrimp are larger than mysis shrimp (which are very small, they're used as fish food), the porcelain won't hurt them. Your sexy shrimp might hurt corals, though.

 

[1epauletteshark]

Ok so now i know i have two porcelain crabs and un unkown scary bigger crab that i am very worried about

 

[1epauletteshark]

If the other crab is indeed a true crab rather than a porcelain crab, it's likely not reef safe. Try a bottle trap.

If your sexy shrimp are larger than mysis shrimp (which are very small, they're used as fish food), the porcelain won't hurt them. Your sexy shrimp might hurt corals, though.

Definitely bigger (i feed frozen mysis shrimp) I dont have corals and dont plan on having them (just a bubble tip anemone)

 

[Tired]

You can remove the bigger crab with a bottle trap, by catching it with tongs, or by pulling the rock it lives on out and figuring out how to manually grab it.

Once you have it out, if you don't have a 'fuge to put it in, either euthanize it with clove oil (which is good to keep on hand in case of sick livestock that needs to be put out of its misery) or crush it entirely in one clean motion to kill it before it can feel any pain.

 

[1epauletteshark]

You can remove the bigger crab with a bottle trap, by catching it with tongs, or by pulling the rock it lives on out and figuring out how to manually grab it.

Once you have it out, if you don't have a 'fuge to put it in, either euthanize it with clove oil (which is good to keep on hand in case of sick livestock that needs to be put out of its misery) or crush it entirely in one clean motion to kill it before it can feel any pain.

Alright thanks for the help I'll wait a bit and try to figure out what it might be and then see what I want to do from there in the meantime if anyone else wants to try and identify the bigger crab that would be very very much appreciated

 

[JoJosReef]

Emerald crab…? No definitely not…

That is one to worry about. Here's how I got my worrisome crabs out of the DT:

1. Get a few small glass bottles (if you have the Red Sea test kits, these are actually ideal!)
2. Chop a few small pieces of shrimp (not mysis, something heavier like krill)
3. Shortly before lights-out, fill the vials with tank water and drop the shimp pieces in, make sure they sink to the bottom. Give it a bit of time for them to "stew"
4. Suck up some of the juice inside the vials
5. Place them in the tank at various points near the rock the crab hides in--lean them against the rock at different angles, some steeper some flatter but not fully flat.
6. Squirt the shrimp juice near the rock. Get that crab's mouth watering!
7. Check vials in the AM. If shrimp are gone but no crab, try repositioning/reangling. Remove any remaining shrimp and repeat at light-out again. May take several attempts.

 

[JoJosReef]

Alright thanks for the help I'll wait a bit and try to figure out what it might be and then see what I want to do from there in the meantime if anyone else wants to try and identify the bigger crab that would be very very much appreciated

catch the bigger crab in a bottle and then you can get a really good ID. I know it's a lot of work, but you'll want to make sure, and it's looking like a crab you want out in any case.

 

[1epauletteshark]

That is one to worry about. Here's how I got my worrisome crabs out of the DT:

1. Get a few small glass bottles (if you have the Red Sea test kits, these are actually ideal!)
2. Chop a few small pieces of shrimp (not mysis, something heavier like krill)
3. Shortly before lights-out, fill the vials with tank water and drop the shimp pieces in, make sure they sink to the bottom. Give it a bit of time for them to "stew"
4. Suck up some of the juice inside the vials
5. Place them in the tank at various points near the rock the crab hides in--lean them against the rock at different angles, some steeper some flatter but not fully flat.
6. Squirt the shrimp juice near the rock. Get that crab's mouth watering!
7. Check vials in the AM. If shrimp are gone but no crab, try repositioning/reangling. Remove any remaining shrimp and repeat at light-out again. May take several attempts.

Yikes that sounds like it might be hard, i have a question for you though, do you think it poses any risk to coral banded shrimp?

 

[JoJosReef]

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

100% porcelain crab and a joy to have! Can't tell the coloring from this video, but I would guess green or blue procelain. You can actually train them to come out more and feed them directly. If you have a pipette, get some filter feeder food and mysis, dilute and then slowly squirt it in their direction--they'll eventually start coming out for it when pumps turn off. Then you get a really good look at them.

 

[1epauletteshark]

100% porcelain crab and a joy to have! Can't tell the coloring from this video, but I would guess green or blue procelain. You can actually train them to come out more and feed them directly. If you have a pipette, get some filter feeder food and mysis, dilute and then slowly squirt it in their direction--they'll eventually start coming out for it when pumps turn off. Then you get a really good look at them.

nice ok will do

 

[Lionfish hunter]

You can remove the bigger crab with a bottle trap, by catching it with tongs, or by pulling the rock it lives on out and figuring out how to manually grab it.

Once you have it out, if you don't have a 'fuge to put it in, either euthanize it with clove oil (which is good to keep on hand in case of sick livestock that needs to be put out of its misery) or crush it entirely in one clean motion to kill it before it can feel any pain.

He is in Indonesia, probably just drive it to the ocean and release it.

 

[1epauletteshark]

He is in Indonesia, probably just drive it to the ocean and release it.

Its not too far away, true but i am 90% sure it would die in transport

 

[JoJosReef]

Yikes that sounds like it might be hard, i have a question for you though, do you think it poses any risk to coral banded shrimp?

I've never had a gorilla crab grow to larger than an inch carapace, so I don't know. My understanding is that a hungry crab isn't picky about what it picks on, and gorillas can get quite big. I've seen crabs attack and kill each other--I wouldn't put it past a strong gorilla crab. I had one living in an AIO chamber (no idea how it got there) for almost 9 months. It grew quite a lot in that time and is likely still growing in the sump of the person that picked it up from me!

 

[Lionfish hunter]

Its not too far away, true but i am 90% sure it would die in transport

Put in a bucket of tank water, acclimate with ocean water for 10-15 minutes once at the ocean. Should be fine. Or just keep it in the tank and see what happens.

 

[1epauletteshark]

Put in a bucket of tank water, acclimate with ocean water for 10-15 minutes once at the ocean. Should be fine. Or just keep it in the tank and see what happens.

I think ill keep it and if i see and foul play it will immediately be expelled

 

[1epauletteshark]

I've never had a gorilla crab grow to larger than an inch carapace, so I don't know. My understanding is that a hungry crab isn't picky about what it picks on, and gorillas can get quite big. I've seen crabs attack and kill each other--I wouldn't put it past a strong gorilla crab. I had one living in an AIO chamber (no idea how it got there) for almost 9 months. It grew quite a lot in that time and is likely still growing in the sump of the person that picked it up from me!

yikes ok ill keep my eye out

 

[JoJosReef]

yikes ok ill keep my eye out

Issue I've had is "random" deaths. Come in, find an emerald crab on its back or part of a skunk cleaner. Gorillas are good at hiding and are most active at lights-out. I saw one many months ago and never saw it again even after setting traps. Presumed dead, but then there's those random deaths...

If you have a local reefing community, I've posted online when I catch them and there's suprising interest from local reefers to add them to their sump. Might be an alternative to driving to the ocean!