Sally Lightfoot = Friend or Foe?

[LittleDabOSalt]

Ok color me new and confused I know but, I'm curious and figured I'd ask here to see what what the majority think. I've had several people, including two fairly popular lfs in my area tell me that the Sally Lightfoot is reef safe and won't cause issue in my tank however, several things that I have read said that once they reach maturity they tend to kill fish.

Now which is it? Are they "safe" for my tank or no? lol:neutral:

 

[droblack]

Small = friend and great algae eater.

Large = potential fish eater, other crab eater

 

[LittleDabOSalt]

Small = friend and great algae eater.

Large = potential fish eater, other crab eater

Thanks for the reply So do most keep them and then when they become large trap them out? If so when are they considered "large" and a problem? Obviously if they start grabbing fish its an issue but I'm curious as to what size is too large for them to still be considered ok.

 

[Reef UP]

I've kept them in my tanks for years never once had an issue I have one that's almost 6" across too I also have a total of 5 in my 125 and I even have very small fish like clown gobies and pipefish dragonets etc. I think they could be like some fish every now and then you just get a naughty one haha

 

[CONSTANTNE]

I really only got them when I needed to. Example is I have brown wafer algae and they have been known to eat it.

 

[droblack]

Mine started getting gnarly when they were around 3 inches across. First, all of my beautiful porcelain crabs disappeared. Then they started branching out. Seems their taste changed from herbivore to omnivore to somewhere along the way. Maybe if they get enough food they don't pose a problem.

 

[pciscott]

Mine were great for a year, they got a juvenile Golden Rhomboid, I tried to grab the fish from them and they swam through the water column after it making them easy to grab with tweazers. They now both live in the sump.

 

[LittleDabOSalt]

Thanks for the help guys, I really appreciate it. I'm just going to take it day by day and see what happens with three in the 125g. If I get a bad apple then he'll just have to get banned to the sump.

 

[LittleDabOSalt]

Well, I've got at least one bad apple.... Been losing snails and now I'm losing shrimp. Earlier this afternoon while watching the tank, I watched a cleaner shrimp just minding it's own when from behind the rock lunges a sally lightfoot claws first at the shrimp. Shrimp about jumped out of its skin, crab lunged again, missed and the shrimp took off. Now I'm on the hunt for the crab.....