I Got Crabs!

Marco S · Jul 15, 2019

But seriously...what the heck is this thing???

For some reason my videos come out a bit clearer so I can upload a short video if anyone needs a clearer shot.

I will say that all the coral was dipped in CoralRX and Revive so it had to come in on one of the snails, the Conches or the rock. The rock was live rock that was in my invert QT for several months with no signs of pests. I did have 4 Emerald Crabs in there though. Could this possibly be a baby Emerald Crab???

scardall · Jul 15, 2019

Emerald crabs are green. While it is hard to tell since it is blury, I could only guess. What color is it really?

Marco S · Jul 15, 2019

It's legs are almost transparent and the body pinkish. I know Emerald Crabs are green, but I was thinking that they are born transparent and gain their color as they grow...maybe???or maybe not.

Here is a clearer video of it...

sfin52 · Jul 15, 2019

I think a crab trap is in order.

Marco S · Jul 15, 2019

sfin52 said:
I think a crab trap is in order.

Do crabs eat coral? If it doesn't bother my coral then I would just leave it be. It is in a coral QT tank with a couple snails and conches and no fish so another invert could be useful if it eats algae.

sfin52 · Jul 15, 2019

Marco S said:
Do crabs eat coral? If it doesn't bother my coral then I would just leave it be. It is in a coral QT tank with a couple snails and conches and no fish so another invert could be useful if it eats algae.

They can eat fish,inverts and coral depending on species.

tdlawdo · Jul 15, 2019

Marco S said:
It's legs are almost transparent and the body pinkish. I know Emerald Crabs are green, but I was thinking that they are born transparent and gain their color as they grow...maybe???or maybe not.

Here is a clearer video of it...

Found lots of places with clear or pale pink “emerald” crabs. Many seem to think they are not as “reef safe” as the emerald ones.

scardall · Jul 15, 2019

Ruby Emerald Crab

Excellent Algae Eater including Bubble Algae!
Description: Ruby Emerald Crabs are reef-safe algae eaters and an excellent addition to your cleaner crew. They are in the same family as Green Emerald Crabs and therefore also are great algae control critters. They are one of the few inverts that will eat nuisance bubble algae which makes them very popular among reef keepers. They have dull tipped claws that they use to pick various types of algae from the rockwork. They are wonderful crabs to observe with beautiful ruby bumpy bodies and pink hairy legs, a great crab for any reef! We rec'd 1 per 25 gallons

Diet and Feeding: Care needs to be taken to ensure an ample supply of food is available. Many supplement their diet with dried seaweed and chopped meaty foods, such as shrimp, and/or a quality pellet fish food. Like other invertebrates, it can not tolerate copper-based medications.

Reef Compatability: Excellent will not harm inverts or corals

Marco S · Jul 15, 2019

tdlawdo said:
Found lots of places with clear or pale pink “emerald” crabs. Many seem to think they are not as “reef safe” as the emerald ones.

I guess it's time for me to start Googleing. I really don't want to take it out, but if it's going to potentially hurt my coral then I'd rather grab it now while it is out in the open.

Marco S · Jul 15, 2019

So, besides figuring out what species this is and whether or not I want to keep it, how did it get in my tank? Like I said, I had 4 Emerald Crabs, but they were green. The live rock was purchased about 7 months ago so I would have noticed this before now. I did get a few Bristle Worms and a large sponge from the live rock, but this is the first time I noticed this guy. Could it have been an egg that just hatched recently and could it have been on one ot the snail or conch shells?

Rjukan · Jul 15, 2019

Marco S said:
The live rock was purchased about 7 months ago so I would have noticed this before now.

Not necessarily. It could have been hiding that time, or was small enough that it was able to stay in holes out of view. A clear snap of it would be great, I'm interested in what it could be. My inclination is a gorilla. What do its claws look like?

Marco S · Jul 15, 2019

Rjukan said:
Not necessarily. It could have been hiding that time, or was small enough that it was able to stay in holes out of view. A clear snap of it would be great, I'm interested in what it could be. My inclination is a gorilla. What do its claws look like?

There is no black on its claws at all. As a matter of fact, there is very little color at all in the claws or legs and the body is slightly pink or red ish. I cannot get any clearer with my phone even with the filter lens and the macro. I will try and borrow my daughters DSLR later today or tomorrow.