Sponge Crab!

Giancarlo · Oct 7, 2012

So i decided to care for a Sponge Crab. At the lfs it had a beautiful yellow sponge it used as a home, I knew that i wouldn't be able to keep the sponge alive for very long, but decided to buy it anyway. I was curious to see what would happen with the crab after the sponge had died. So after about 3 weeks in the Q/T tank, i put the crab in my display. i noticed that the sponge was withering away, and also my yumas and ricordea's had all been eaten, along with a few zoas. So i figured id send it in the sump where it can eat whatever in there. So i have thick filter socks that i leave in the sump to colonize with bacteria for quarantine tanks, and when the sponge died, the crab actually cut out a nice little home from the sock for him to use as a shell. At first i thought it was just a piece of nothing, and i had grabbed it to throw out, but luckily I saw this little buddy. There is also an old squamosa that i have in the sump, my flame angel picks at him so i moved it there until i figure out who i want to keep, and on the clams shell there was one huge aptaisa. Once i put the crab in the sump, within a day or two it was gone, which leads me to assume that it ate the aptaisa, which is awesome.

So i am going to put all kinds of weed like corals (xenia, GSP, mushrooms) and see if the crab eats all that as well, and if so it looks like ill have myself a nice little janitor to take care of any coral like infestations!

Heres a pic of the little guy in the sump, he is under that material in the red circle.

Has anybody ever cared for one of these guys? Noticed any sort of eating habits? It seems like it eats plenty of algae, and all the foods, but i would love to experiment with soft corals. I think it would be pretty cool to have him as a sort of live rock cleaner, as i have a bunch of annoying mushrooms and different types of soft corals on some pieces of live rock that id love to get cleaned up.

G

SeymourDuncan · Oct 7, 2012

why are you intentionally killing corals when the ocean is dying? I think thats screwed up. It would be different if you were discovering a cure for disease....weeds or not, corals are living creatures

slugwall · Oct 7, 2012

I think this is a great idea especially if you have a mushroom party taking over one of your favorite rocks...

SeymourDuncan · Oct 7, 2012

in that case you should just remove them and rehome them...isnt that as cruel as feeding damsels to a lion fish...even though they are mean fish, in the right conditions are excellent specimens? If you grew these "weeds" specifically as food, it may be a different story. Im not saying your bad or evil at all, and in fact you are just adding to the database of knowledge. Thats awesome that they eat aptasia, Maybe these guys can be passed around like nudibranchs for people who buy tanks off craigslist lol.

Giancarlo · Oct 7, 2012

Hey warlock, I understand your frustration, and whole heartily agree, but the crab was already at the lfs. Regardless who buys it, that sponge was going to die. I don't believe it would have lasted longer anywhere else, unless someone bought it, took a plane and brought it back from where it came from. Maybe i could have just left it there, and hope nobody buys it. Which would then possible discourage the lfs to get those again. But we can't change the past.

As for the mushrooms and soft corals, that are intentionally being killed. If it was due to lack of care, maintenance or any reason in which negligence on my behalf killed them. Then I would not do this, but the crab is a living species that needs to eat, just as people feed Copepods and other shrimps to their animals, a life is a life. So if you want to stand for that, then all the micro organisms that live in our tanks like snails and mini brittle star fish would be in the same category.

SeymourDuncan · Oct 7, 2012

I didnt meant to come off angry..Not so much frustration as it is WHY? But with the response you gave, I do see the point...and yeah, the whole circle of life cannot be avoided, especially in reef systems. The whole rescue the sponge crab thing is admirable and I do the same thing. I am not mad, just seeing if there would be a less destructive way he could eat. Not to mention, People pay good money for frags regardless of general tastes on certain species. IF it were me I would set up a grow out tank for "Feeder Corals" (thats a new one). Maybe even use strictly aptasia, they are pretty hard to kill...He could have his own tank with a nudibranch or a file fish or something compatible that eats the same stuff and make an Aptasia fuge on that? ? Lets figure out a way to house these creatures so the LFS does not have to stop ordering them AND you dont have to waste corals...Call me a Racist but there are enough Aptasia in the world to eat, lets leave the real corals to grow and be fragged for the next person to do the same.

nkarisny · Feb 18, 2021

Giancarlo said:
Hey warlock, I understand your frustration, and whole heartily agree, but the crab was already at the lfs. Regardless who buys it, that sponge was going to die. I don't believe it would have lasted longer anywhere else, unless someone bought it, took a plane and brought it back from where it came from. Maybe i could have just left it there, and hope nobody buys it. Which would then possible discourage the lfs to get those again. But we can't change the past.

As for the mushrooms and soft corals, that are intentionally being killed. If it was due to lack of care, maintenance or any reason in which negligence on my behalf killed them. Then I would not do this, but the crab is a living species that needs to eat, just as people feed Copepods and other shrimps to their animals, a life is a life. So if you want to stand for that, then all the micro organisms that live in our tanks like snails and mini brittle star fish would be in the same category.

i have a sponge in my tank , they dont kill them they wear them . a sponge will live in your tank.