Sally Light Foot Crabs = Caution

Harry_Y · Oct 21, 2009

I just wanted to pass this along, your results meay be different.

I had purchaced 2 sally lightfoot crabs about 1.5 years ago.
They had nice colors and I heard they help keep things clean

And of course they are reef safe (so I thought)......

Well...

1.5 Years later and after one of them Killed the other, Killed Fish, Killed
Corals, etc. I finally got it out of the display and it is now my sump monster.

I suspected it for a while but thought it must be something else,
I am now about 99.9% sure it was the sally lightfoot.

Just wanted to save someone else the loss of livestock, etc.

JR's Reef · Oct 21, 2009

Yeah I had one yrs ago that I found eating my monti's. Lucky I was able to get him out before it eat them all.

sps4mytank · Oct 21, 2009

i have had mine for 2 years. havent had any issues with it, tank is always clean. I keep it feed every two days. Havent had a problem. I know they occasionally try to catch fish, but if the fish is smart enough they stay away.

Jay

droblack · Oct 21, 2009

Crabs bad.

Harry_Y · Oct 21, 2009

droblack said:
Crabs bad.

Yes, I hate to admit how much $$$
it cost me and some nice corals :squigglemouth:

benny z · Oct 21, 2009

i don't keep crabs. period.

Azurel · Oct 21, 2009

As much as they are reported to be "reef" safe they are not especially when they get big. They will catch fish, eat coral etc....One crab that shouldn't be pushed the way it is.....In fact in the Discovery show Wild Pacific they showed one trying to eat a baby penguin or seal.....

Mark75g · Oct 21, 2009

I had purchased a long tentacle anemone from LFS. It was doing fine. 2 days later the anemone was all chewed up. looked like brain matter coming out. No one new the answer what happened. I purchased a second anemone and within 2 days it was eaten up and died. I had a sally lightfoot in the tank. Local guy that takes care of tanks said he had seen these crabs go after coral. After i took the crab back to LFS. Mgr and owner both said they are reef safe. I told them too bad take him back. i have not had a problem since.

About week later a couple was in the same LFS and they were talking to the mgr about how they watched a sally eating their coral. I told the LFS mgr "SEE I TOLD YOU SO"

kiraburk · Oct 21, 2009

A friend of mine has a sally light foot crab that kept grabbing his wrasse and gobies. It was either that or his serpentine star, which is also a monster....

softiegirl · Oct 21, 2009

a friend of mine has one, bugger bites the heck out of us everytime were messing around with that tank!

tekken · Oct 27, 2009

found out the hard way that "reef safe" crabs is in the eyes of the beholder... they were like lumberjacks after a few months... trimming away everything they could

CHALICEKEEPER · Oct 27, 2009

I found out the hard way emerald crabs are bad as well

tekken · Oct 27, 2009

as the mother in "the Water Boy" would always say... she's da devil. I've been trying to get those guys out of my tank... but they hide so so well... one day, i'll have to take all the rocks out... and see if I can catch them.

cntryboi407 · Oct 27, 2009

Azurel said:
As much as they are reported to be "reef" safe they are not especially when they get big. They will catch fish, eat coral etc....One crab that shouldn't be pushed the way it is.....In fact in the Discovery show Wild Pacific they showed one trying to eat a baby penguin or seal.....

Your joking right?:neutral: lol

Harry_Y · Oct 27, 2009

tekken said:
as the mother in "the Water Boy" would always say... she's da devil. I've been trying to get those guys out of my tank... but they hide so so well... one day, i'll have to take all the rocks out... and see if I can catch them.

I actually got lucky and was able to catch it one day

(after trying a few different days)

It must have been slow that day