Pitho Crab!

[Ezreal]

Saw this on ReefCleaners website and had to have it!!

Apparently it's related to decorator crabs, I can see small hooks on its back near the head and around the face where it would use algae to disguise its self. However the male (which is what this is) has remarkably small and likely useless arms for defence, where the female has very large arms. They also are supposed to graze on hair algae (which I have none of) other algae fish pellets and detritus.

He has become one with the sand!

 

[KJ]

Decorator crabs.

 

[Sierra_Bravo]

Saw this on ReefCleaners website and had to have it!!

Apparently it's related to decorator crabs, I can see small hooks on its back near the head and around the face where it would use algae to disguise its self. However the male (which is what this is) has remarkably small and likely useless arms for defence, where the female has very large arms. They also are supposed to graze on hair algae (which I have none of) other algae fish pellets and detritus.

He has become one with the sand!

Hoow's this guy working out for you so far?

 

[Ezreal]

Hoow's this guy working out for you so far?

He's such a unique addition to my reef, he is giant for a small tank but very friendly and a great cleaner, he takes pellet food and dry phyto. He doesn't move around much like the emerald and he doesn't pick at or go near injured dying or upturned snails. He DID however eat a 5 dollar pencil cap macro algae but I wasn't too upset it just means he likes the taste of all algae. Also hes one of the most fun critters to feed in my reef, he buries him self in the sand with only his eyes showing during certain hours and when I add my phyto or dangle some fish pellets above him he explodes out of the sand waiving his tiny arms wildly and he gently picks the pellets off of my fingers. I love the big guy. So glad I got the male, the female would not have gone well in my reef with those GIANT arms.

 

[jaxredsoxfan]

Interesting I've never heard of a pito crab. Amazing the different creatures there are out there. Glad hes working out for you

 

[Ezreal]

There's a some blurry pics. It's hard to get pics of the guy. The first one is a nice side by side of my female emerald crab. You can get an idea of how big he is.

 

[Reefanatic24/7]

How big is he now? 2-3 inches?

 

[Ezreal]

How big is he now? 2-3 inches?

He's still about the same size. It looks like he's cultivating the red diatom algae so he can feed on it and wear it on his head... because it only grows in one spot and at night I see him tending to it, even pushing away hermit crabs and snails that try and eat it.

 

[Ezreal]

He's really feisty for a crab with useless claws. The Coral Banded likes to get in everyones face but this little guy will push him back even though the Banded shrimp's claws are massive.

 

[Squeaky McMurdo]

I ordered a few of them yesterday to help combat the hair algae outbreak I’m having. I can’t wait to see how they work out.

 

[hllb]

Mine just upturned my Duncan to try to hide under it LOL. And he’s wearing some algae on his head!

 

[Terri Caton]

I love Decorator Crabs! It's so fun to see how they "decorate" their shells.

Check this one out photographed in St. Thomas

 

[Terri Caton]

And this one!

 

[Ezreal]

I have a giant decorator. He's colossal compared to Scuttles 1.0 (the pitho)
He's covered head to toe in sponges and also cultivates the red cyano on that one rock so he can grow it on his claws.

That being said, that little pitho is scared of nothing. He waves his little pincers in the air and pushes that slow moving colossus with no fear. Of course he's so huge he pretty much ignores everything, the coral banded shrimp even sits on his back to chill out and scavenge the sponges for food.

You can see the little pitho next to the decorator in the first pic

 

[Terri Caton]

I have a giant decorator. He's colossal compared to Scuttles 1.0 (the pitho)
He's covered head to toe in sponges and also cultivates the red cyano on that one rock so he can grow it on his claws.

That being said, that little pitho is scared of nothing. He waves his little pincers in the air and pushes that slow moving colossus with no fear. Of course he's so huge he pretty much ignores everything, the coral banded shrimp even sits on his back to chill out and scavenge the sponges for food.

You can see the little pitho next to the decorator in the first pic

I want one!

 

[Ezreal]

I want one!

They are really big and not even remotely elegant. Super interesting critters but like giant bulldozers of your reef. Also sometimes they will take snippets of LPS corals to try and decorate themselves and it can kill your LPS. I don't keep any LPS so it's fine and I couldn't care less if they snip some zoas.

 

[Ezreal]

Scuttles 4.0 and 1.0

 

[Terri Caton]

They look so funny.
Do they climb up the rocks?
I have a 136 gallon as of today, very mature tank I got from a doctor's office that was tearing it down. I wonder if he would cause much destruction in that.
Are you saying the little one doesn't? Isn't that a pic of him knocking over your Duncan?

 

[hllb]

They look so funny.
Do they climb up the rocks?
I have a 136 gallon as of today, very mature tank I got from a doctor's office that was tearing it down. I wonder if he would cause much destruction in that.
Are you saying the little one doesn't? Isn't that a pic of him knocking over your Duncan?

I’ve never had a decorator crab. The pitho is different but related I think. Yes, he just knocked over my duncan but didn’t damage it. I’ve only had him a few days so not sure if it’ll be a problem. He does climb up my rocks.

 

[Ezreal]

They look so funny.
Do they climb up the rocks?
I have a 136 gallon as of today, very mature tank I got from a doctor's office that was tearing it down. I wonder if he would cause much destruction in that.
Are you saying the little one doesn't? Isn't that a pic of him knocking over your Duncan?

The pitho would get lost in a big aquarium because they like to bury themselves in the sand, but they don't knock over too much stuff.

The decorator crab will knock over everything not glued down or solidly placed. They climb everywhere.