I caught that red $#%)# eyed devil crab

[lutebro]

I caught that red eyed freak!!!!!
Yeah.... i've been trying to figure out what has been killing my fish and i think i finally figured it out. All of my levels are fine and everything else seems ok so i think i finally figured it out. Let me know if you think i'm wrong so i can keep trying to figure it out but i think with this crab and the brittelstar had a little take out and chowed all my fish. He's got red eyes and is hairy. He's about the size of a dime now. Could he have eaten my percs and a couple damsels? Let me know. I've been trying to figure out what has happened to all my fish... i asked a while ago before i found the crab so if you're interested then you can look there to see all i've tried. Thanks

http://www.reefcentral.com/vbulleti...&threadid=43874

 

[teddibear703]

I have the exact same crab as you in my tank. Took me forever to catch it. I ended up using a red light bulb and sat by my tank with a net for 2 hours in the middle of the night.

But i dont think its that crab that is eating your fish. The crabs claws are quite small and my crab seemed to be more of a scavenger. he would always sit in a hole and just sit. He has the little red buggy eyes. Ha... Well, i dont know if its your crab, but my crab has never killed or done anything to my knowledge.

 

[Anonymous]

Ok, I've had crabs, and crabs, and more crabs both fresh and marine for many years. I can tell you that unless this is some kind of freakeshly powerfull crab with some superweapon I've never heard of, look elsewhere for your culprit. A dime sized crab is harmless to anything much bigger than a dime! Only when certain crabs start to become rather large, or when kept with VERY small fish do problems occure. Sally lightfoots tend to become aggressive when hungry, but even a large one is hard pressed to capture a damsel.
Brittlestars have been known to jump sleeping fish, so this might be your problem or possibly a stomatopod. Send me your little crab if you dont want him, I'll take him.

Jim

 

[bensenvill]

Yup, killed all my fish too. Randomly found him hiding in a nook in a rock. Pulled it out and jabbed him with a chop stick for well over an hour. I really just wanted to smash him up to little bits (they have a real tough shell though). Eventually he came out so I donated him to the LFS, they couldnt identify it either.

 

[SPC]

I don't think a crab the size of a dime could do this damage.

Steve

 

[pupeluv]

I've had a red eyed crab (hitchhiker) in one of my nanos for about six months. I don't think they're that destructive. She's very shy, and although I just put the first fish in there with her, she seems to be mostly vegetarian. Eats lots of caulerpa, and I feed her frozen cocktail shrimp and bottom feeder tabs. Anyway, there's tons of little snails and a few small starfish in there with her, and she doesn't seem to eat those. I've never seen her out of her hidey hole. From this one crab that I do have, I don't think she'd cause the kind of destruction you're seeing. Just MHO.