Huuuge Crab finally captured! Gorilla Crab??

[JMSKI333]

My 90 gallon reef is 6 years old and I probably stopped adding live rock (Fiji) about 5 years ago. This past summer I noticed a pretty large crab in my tank for the first time. Which is surprising since he is a pretty decent size crab and I stare at my tank a lot.

I have been patiently watching him and was dreading the day that I will have to pull all my rock out to get him. He is fast!! About 15 mins ago after watching him eat a snail in the back of my tank, I got the bright idea to use my 510 Lumen flashlight and strobe him. Well... That disorientated him quite a bit and he started walking backward up my overflow toward the surface of the tank. I kept strobing him and I was able to snag him with a brine shrimp net (only thing handy). He now has been relocated to a 55g tank full of LR in my sump.

He looks dark in the photos, but in my tank his body was a hairy Tan/Sand color with Maroon/Black claws.

 

[Jlobes]

Lol. Nice catch. I have a similar story, Catching a fairly large gorilla crab in my tank one night. Managed to catch him on the sand bed, caught him by surprise with a pair tweezers. I felt so victorious.

 

[Rob Top1]

So hairy crabs hate disco, good to know. Nice catch.

 

[TJ's Reef]

Nice capture Jordan, they can get pretty destructive as they grow.

I've had some of my LR for 25+ years and this is what I find..... YIKES !!!

JK of course
Cheers, Todd

 

[Jlobes]

Nice capture Jordan, they can get pretty destructive as they grow.

I've had some of my LR for 25+ years and this is what I find..... YIKES !!!



JK of course
Cheers, Todd

LOL...nice haul of dungies!! is that from this year/season? Gotta love that west coast water spider!

 

[JMSKI333]

Lol. Nice catch. I have a similar story, Catching a fairly large gorilla crab in my tank one night. Managed to catch him on the sand bed, caught him by surprise with a pair tweezers. I felt so victorious.

Yep! Victorious is a good way to describe the way I feel. I outmatched a crab lol

 

[Jlobes]

Yep! Victorious is a good way to describe the way I feel. I outmatched a crab lol

I don't know about the one in your tank, but the one I caught was super fast and very sensitive to movement and shadows. He'd be on the rock and clinging or in a hole… In a second! So great to get the pest out of the tank, it's a good feeling.

 

[Shep]

Hate these crabs! had one in my tank that was like a ninja or something. To me forever to catch it

 

[TJ's Reef]

LOL...nice haul of dungies!! is that from this year/season? Gotta love that west coast water spider!

Those were from a couple years ago, though normally do well every year right in front of our Beach House. Winter minus tides in the evenings like this weekend we can just wade the tide pools for them and makes a fun night adventure hunting them with flashlights and rakes. The pics below are from this past August and ones we collected from Kayaks just off our beach. Fun pulling LARGE CRABS out of traps that are sitting on your lap and placing them into a bucket without dire consequences... end result is awfully tasty though.... lol

Cheers, Todd

 

[jsanchez]

I haven't had any hitch hiking crabs in my tank yet, but this was in my order from reef2go just a few days ago. It wasn't hairy and only a 1/4" long but had pointy black claws so I chopped it up and fed it to my wrasse.

 

[Sully]

Curious, any reason you clean them before cooking? I've been eating Dungies my whole life and never cleaned before cook. Just wondering and sorry for the hi-jack.

Those were from a couple years ago, though normally do well every year right in front of our Beach House. Winter minus tides in the evenings like this weekend we can just wade the tide pools for them and makes a fun night adventure hunting them with flashlights and rakes. The pics below are from this past August and ones we collected from Kayaks just off our beach. Fun pulling LARGE CRABS out of traps that are sitting on your lap and placing them into a bucket without dire consequences... end result is awfully tasty though.... lol




Cheers, Todd

 

[hatfielj]

Nice catch! Yeah those guys are nasty. I've found a few before. I've now learned to never put actual live rock in the display. Used only dry rock in the display this time and put the live rock in the sump. No crabs or other pests to deal with.

 

[TJ's Reef]

Always a bit of a gamble with LR introduction but.... have always used LR and will continue to if more is needed. There is IMHO way to many pros with real LR in adding greater bio-diversity just need to be careful and inspect well. Having another small QT like setup would certainly be safer and also be able to ID the 'Good Stuff' in there.

Sully, I just prefer the taste of steaming Dungeness rather than boiling it in its own butter/guts. Just a touch of garlic in the melted butter and mmm mmmm mmmmm. For those with concerns for the crab I dispatch them quickly this way as well by wearing filet gloves wrapping up their legs from behind and breaking them over rim of 5g bucket. remove full leg sets from shell, clean off gills and shake most of the 'butter' off then into the Cooker to steam for 10 minutes +-


Cheers, Todd

 

[JMSKI333]

From now on I will surely be using LR in the Sump and dry rock in the display. I have found wayyy to many negative hitch hikers. 2 Mantis Shrimp, Polyclad Flatworm and now this monster of a crab. I checked on him today. He looks happy in the sump surrounded by probably 80lbs of LR

 

[427HISS]

Well Todd, that's why you're so,...CRABBY all the time, you're one of them !

Side by side, I can't tell you apart !

Question though. In the evolutionary ladder, are you evolving into a crab or a human ??? :tongue: