I have a crab problem.
I put them in. They hang out for weeks, doing their crab thing then they disappear. So far I’ve lost 4 emerald and one anemone crab. I’d love to add emeralds back in to help with my bubble algae maintenance but I won’t until I sort this mystery out. The first clue I had was with the last victim, my anemone crab. He started molting and I saw him drag his old shell under the RFA he called home. He never returned.
Today, during my routine cleaning, I pulled what appears to be a small Fireworm from one of my rocks. He was predominantly bright red with with bristles (apologies for the hasty photo below). He was a little guy—just over 1/2”. I’ve read that fireworms can prey on crustaceans and crabs are certainly at their most vulnerable during a molt. Can this be my perpetrator?
in any case, I’ll be setting out a trap to see how many more I can find.
I put them in. They hang out for weeks, doing their crab thing then they disappear. So far I’ve lost 4 emerald and one anemone crab. I’d love to add emeralds back in to help with my bubble algae maintenance but I won’t until I sort this mystery out. The first clue I had was with the last victim, my anemone crab. He started molting and I saw him drag his old shell under the RFA he called home. He never returned.
Today, during my routine cleaning, I pulled what appears to be a small Fireworm from one of my rocks. He was predominantly bright red with with bristles (apologies for the hasty photo below). He was a little guy—just over 1/2”. I’ve read that fireworms can prey on crustaceans and crabs are certainly at their most vulnerable during a molt. Can this be my perpetrator?
in any case, I’ll be setting out a trap to see how many more I can find.
