How fragile are porites?

[dustint]

Ive got a new yellow porite. About the size of a baseball, and really nice branching. Question is that I had to handle the guy to place his rock nub into a hole in my rocks. So now I have been trying to leave it alone and let it acclimate, and one of my bloe legged crabs is in its branches.

Should I be worried about crabs wandering my porites branches? Will the claws and shell hes dragging cause irritation and damage to the polyps when they are retracted?

Thanks for any input,
Dustin T
Atlanta GA

 

[cubera]

Hi, Dustin. I don't know about the crab but I find Porites either impossible to kill or impossible to keep. Ones that do survive and are then propagated are very hardy.

 

[bowfront]

Hi, I've noticed a blue leg hermit on my yellow porites sometimes without any noticable damage. I've also found porites to be easy given proper light and clean water.

 

[slojmn1]

I have red legged Scarlet hermits that perch in my porites and assorted acroporas for a day or two at a time. They do not seem to bother them in any way. If I am working in the tank I will remove them if I think about it, but otherwise they eventually move on.