rock crab with bristle legs

[67Stang]

Got one of those rock crabs with bristle legs as a hitchhicker in a live rock order.

I currently only have a few corals and polyp rocks.

Is he a reef safe crab or should I get him out pronto?

If he should come out, any suggestions on how to trap him without removing the entire rock structure?

Thanks
Bruce

 

[67Stang]

can anyone help?

 

[Goldmoon]

What color is your crab??
We also have a bristle (hairy)legged crab that hitchhiked.. it is brown with white striped legs. Kind of shaped like a mythrax crab but with much shorter front legs (the one with the claws). So far we are checking him every night. It is a very shy crab which hides any time there is something moving around in the room. We got scared at first since he was trying to pull button polyps rocks in holes. He has stopped doing that now, and everytime we see him all he does is eat algae on rocks like an old emerald crab. I am not sure your crab is the same but if it is I would not be TOO worry about it.. Crabs are all opportunist and should all be checked because their habits tend to change. But unless you really do not want it, (then you should remove it) just keep an eye on it and on your corals and stuff..
Sorry I can not help more

As to remove it, we did not really tried it but I read that putting a glass cylinder,(like a really deep small glass) with bait in the bottom should do the trick. You put the opening towards where you see it more often, and you put it like this /. The crab can get in easily but can not get out of it since it slips too much.
HTH

[ October 01, 2001: Message edited by: Goldmoon ]

 

[Gatortailale1]

I have a brown rock crab that caught the ride in on the rock. Been reef safe for a year now. Comes out at night and chows on algae and detritus and other food things it finds. Haven't ever noticed damage from it.

Gator

 

[deepreeftank]

i have one like that for 3 months now that came withthe rock and was tiny we lost him in the sand and pronounced him doa but after a while we saw him at nite... now he has molted 3 times and only comes out at nite... mine is a purple color with litte spines...he lives in the same little cave as the coral banded shrimp they both come out and feed on shrimp