Emerald crabs eating fish

[BuddyBlue]

I woke up this morning to see my cleaner wrasse struggling to swim away from the two emerald crabs who were eating him alive. My guess is they pulled him out of his little cove he sleeps in and started eating him. Is this normal? I thought they only ate dead fish.

I put my cleaner wrasse in a breeder box and am hoping he recovers, but his back end is severely torn up. He's still swimming a little with his front fins, but mostly is just resting in the box. I hope he recovers, cuz he's a cool little guy. All this after the anemone just got shredded in my flow pump.....weeeee.:bigeyes2:

 

[DEL]

I've had this happen before. this is the main reason I don't keep big crabs or anything that has claws. if they catch it, it's theirs. some have success, some dont.

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[BuddyBlue]

Do you have any recommendations for my cleaner wrasse?

 

[bonomo53]

My guess is that the wrasse was weak or on its way out before the crabs got him. Maybe from the anemone getting shredded and releasing something into the water.

 

[STRIPERVIPER]

Crabs

I agree Joe, probably just nature taking its course. If the wrasse was healthy it would have just swam away. Crabs are scavengers for the most part not active hunters.

 

[Reef Reaper]

time to get rid of the crabs!

 

[BuddyBlue]

My wrasse didn't make it. Now other things in the tank are starting to act weird like my large rose BTA and my feather duster. All my levels are right where they need to be. I'm losing my mind.

 

[bonomo53]

Have you ran any carbon after you lost the anemone? It may have released something into the water. Also if you can post tank info an levels that will be helpful.

 

[nano]

Quick story about my (former) emerald crab:

I had put an emerald crab (a medium-sized male if it matters) in my tank with 2 clowns, and orchid dottyback, and a randall goby.
For many months everything was fine, and the crab happily paraded around picking at all sorts of algae and eating up scrap food the fish missed. He seemed a model CUC member.

Then one morning I found a rip in the goby's dorsal sail fin. It was small, and I assumed he caught it on a rock.
A week later, the dorsal fin was shredded in multiple places, and I suspected some conflict. Everyone blamed the crab, but I hadn't seen him do anything aggressive and thought they were overreacting.

Shortly after that, at least half of the orchid dottyback's pectoral fin was completely missing, which resulted in lymphocystis that went on for a few months.
Then the goby ended up jumping, presumably from getting scared by something, but who knows. (RIP)

After a few more weeks, I dipped the dottyback in some medicine since the lymphocystis kept getting worse. After returning him to the tank after the dip, he was naturally stressed, but healthy. He rested on the rock at the mouth of the cave he lives in. Moments later I watched the crab come over and climb up the rock above the cave, and then he leapt Superfly Snuka-style down onto the dottyback. Fortunately, the fish escaped quickly and I didn't have to intervene.

After that, the crab lived out his days in the sump...

Then I got bubble algae...

 

[Branespikin]

Hmmm. Thats got me thinking now. Did he get at my blotchy. Found him dead in my tank the other day. He was perfectly fine days before. I also see the tail of my Mk cosker wrasse looks like someone has been nibbling on it.