Was wondering if this is a fiddler

[paul01]

Or what kind of crab it is

 

[Roboson]

Hmm, normally I'm a wiz at crab IDs, but I can't tell on this guy. He's cute though.

 

[paul01]

I just wonder if he's going to eat anything

 

[Roboson]

Based on that claw shape... Probably. Looks like a carnivore. I'm a big fan of crabs in reef tanks, but even I think that guy is not gonna be friends with your fish. How big is he?

 

[Maritimer]

Don't know about that guy (who I would class as a fiddler), but around here the fiddlers use their smaller claw to pick tiny morsels from the mudflats.

Years ago, I tried keeping fiddlers in my tank. I'd periodically get a shout from my mother "It's under the sofa _again_!" ... Exercise caution when escape-proofing this guy's enclosure!

~Bruce

 

[Roboson]

He could be a fiddler, I just haven't seen a fiddler who looks like him. So if he is a fiddler, he's not like one I've seen.

Fiddler crabs need time out of the water to survive long term. So they don't do well in the typical reef tank.

 

[paul01]

He was a hitchhiker on my rocks

 

[Roboson]

That doesn't rule him out as a fiddler. Some go weeks at a time without going to shore.

Can you get a wide shot of him for scale?

 

[chefjpaul]

Looks like a sandwich crab to me.

 

[Roboson]

Actually I'm pretty sure he is a fiddler, I just figure out the exact species. Most fiddlers are omnivores, so idk about him and fish.

 

[chefjpaul]

Actually I'm pretty sure he is a fiddler, I just figure out the exact species. Most fiddlers are omnivores, so idk about him and fish.

I 100% believe you. Just looks like a great sandwich with a touch of aioli to me

 

[Roboson]

I think he'd be a really cool pet if you wanted to drop him in a sump or a 10g. Definitely not a flush candidate.

I meant I couldn't get the exact species. He's super super red, even on his back, which is odd.

 

[chefjpaul]

I think he'd be a really cool pet if you wanted to drop him in a sump or a 10g. Definitely not a flush candidate.

I meant I couldn't get the exact species. He's super super red, even on his back, which is odd.

Agree.
I actually love inverts, and as much as i bash crabs, it's just to poke fun because they get blamed for everything except eating algae, which I wouldn't add to eradicate in the first place.

I do have a hitch hiker hermit in my frag tank that is a role model. I do feed him though.

 

[Boesemani]

I think it's a flame back fiddler, (uca flammula) but I'm not 100% sure.

 

[Roboson]

Agree.
I actually love inverts, and as much as i bash crabs, it's just to poke fun because they get blamed for everything except eating algae, which I wouldn't add to eradicate in the first place.

I do have a hitch hiker hermit in my frag tank that is a role model. I do feed him though.

Inverts are my favorite too. I actually have a IOWLR tank right now while my new tank cycles. What kind of hermit is your hitchhiker?

I think it's a flame back fiddler, (uca flammula) but I'm not 100% sure.

It's possible. But without knowing the size, I can't tell how old it is. Crab she'll coloration changes as they age.

 

[cj in sac ca]

Could be a type of rock crab. Seen similar crabs " different colors " on the jetties here in NW Florida.

 

[Roboson]

Rock crabs typically have similarly sized claws, and this guy's claws are not even close in size.

 

[cj in sac ca]

Could be a regrow ing claw

 

[Roboson]

That's possible. Big big claws then.

 

[Boesemani]

No that is definitely a type of fiddler. I'm 100% sure on that.