ID this crab

[curiel909]

Can anyone ID this crab? Is it safe for a reef tank?

Keep it? Get rid of it? Thanks!

 

[Hemmdog]

Following. Looks safe to me, but we will see.

 

[curiel909]

My friend gave me it, so far it hasn’t messed with any of my inverts nor fish.

 

[Hemmdog]

My friend gave me it, so far it hasn’t messed with any of my inverts nor fish.

Nice. The claws look like meat eater claws but most likely for scavenging carrion eating. If they are hairy then that could be a gorilla crab, which are bad, but those also have black markings on the claws.

 

[curiel909]

Here’s another pic.

 

[Jay Z]

Anemone (porcelain) crab. Reek safe filter feeder. Wil stand on random corals but prefers anemones

 

[Jay Z]

Mine form this morning.

 

[Katrina71]

Very cool crabs to watch.

 

[Hemmdog]

Mine form this morning.

Cool pic, that’s a different type of crab though.

 

[ScottR]

I have a porcelain crab too. Does not look like it to me. Porcelain crabs have 6 legs and are not true crabs. Their claws are very flat and they rarely use their claws to eat. Here is mine eating a rare meal.

 

[Phycodurus]

i respectfully disagree that this is an anemone/porcelain crab ... i see no pair of feather-like maxillipeds.

my first thought was a lighter morph of a sally lightfoot crab.

 

[Phycodurus]

... the claws on OP’s pic look substantially heavier though than a SLF.

 

[ScottR]

... the claws on OP’s pic look substantially heavier though than a SLF.

I find crab ID’s to be nearly impossible. They seem cool to keep until they start eating everything except the rock in your tank.

 

[ArizonaAquatics]

To me, it really looks like a porcelain crab or anemone crab. Kept bunches of them at the LFS and they cling to anemones for their lives! They have those claws as well as those filter feeding filaments you see.

 

[Phycodurus]

OP: top view in white light would help a lot (but i agree with scott ... crab ID is an educated guess at best).

observe the crab and advise if you see any maxilliped arms (the feathered sweeper arms).

 

[ScottR]

To me, it really looks like a porcelain crab or anemone crab. Kept bunches of them at the LFS and they cling to anemones for their lives! They have those claws as well as those filter feeding filaments you see.

What stands out to me is: I see what looks like 8 legs, not six. Legs are not white. It’s missing the pair of feather feelers in the front and it’s eyes pop out too much. That’s why I don’t think it’s a porcelain.

 

[ArizonaAquatics]

What stands out to me is: I see what looks like 8 legs, not six. Legs are not white. It’s missing the pair of feather feelers in the front and it’s eyes pop out too much. That’s why I don’t think it’s a porcelain.

Ah yes, I see what you are talking about now. And you're right, the original photo doesn't really look like a porcelain now that I go back and look at it. Apparently my brain only likes to "see" certain photos, lol.

 

[Phycodurus]

maxillipeds in action:

 

[ScottR]

maxillipeds in action:

So beautiful. They usually stay in one spot all day and seem to never sleep. Just filter feed all day.

 

[curiel909]

Thanks everyone for their input!

This little dude is hard to to take pics of. Here’s another one, not the best but will try to take another tomorrow.

I’m starting to believe it may be some type of shore crab.