I have a mystery crab that came in on my live rock. I finally got a good picture of him (attached) He hasn't messed with any fish - but has eaten some of my button polyps (at least I think it is him). I've searched high and low for a pic of a crab like him. No luck. I think I'll have to catch him somehow before he eats my other buttons. He only comes out at night - plus I hear a clicking sound which I thought were my hermits hitting the glass while cruisin the tank (not). He was out this AM - one of my emerald crabs had a piece of my peppermint shrimp (died) and he wanted it so he's hungry. Any ideas what he is and how to catch him?
Crab Identification
- Thread starter Tracy2008
- Start date
I'm not sure what kind of crab it is, but definitely put it in a seperate tank until you can identify it. If you hear clicking sounds it might be a pistol or mantis shrimp.
You could take a small glass jar and put some food in it. Wait until the crab goes in and take it out... I know it easier said then done...
You could take a small glass jar and put some food in it. Wait until the crab goes in and take it out... I know it easier said then done...
Tough to ID from the picture, might be a Xanthid crab (no good) but perhaps it is a lissocarcinus swimming crab. Check out these pictures: Yahoo! Image Search Results for lissocarcinus crab
This link also has a lot of pictures of different hitchhiker crabs, give it a shot: Crab Hitch Hikers
I agree about removing it until you can ID it. You can also buy commercial crab/mantis traps for around $10. They have a trap door on a trigger.
This link also has a lot of pictures of different hitchhiker crabs, give it a shot: Crab Hitch Hikers
I agree about removing it until you can ID it. You can also buy commercial crab/mantis traps for around $10. They have a trap door on a trigger.
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an easy home made trap can be done with a soft drink or water bottle. cut off the top about a third of the way down and invert this into the remaining bottle. Place some nice tasty mysis or something in the bottle and the crab will crawl in and won't be able to get out....remove the bottle and crab in the a.m.
I checked out the "crab hitchhiker site" you mention - and the first line of Xanthid pics - second picture - I saw this one last night (never before have I seen him). So unless the one I've been tracking in my picture changed color and shape - I now have two. Guess I'll be setting trap for them. Question is - what do I do with them once I catch them. If they are bad - who wants them? I don't like killing anything. As for the clicking noise - I have never seen a pistol shrimp in my tank anywhere. Wouldn't I at least see him at some point if he hitched on my rock?