Calico crab and Chocolate Chip Star

[bowser]

Calico crab and Chocolate Chip Star......almost sounds like something to serve at a luncheon.....

This may sound strange to some, but I've always liked the chocolate chip starfish. I've never had one as I've never had a tank that didn't have something in it that the star would eat. But now I'm thinking of starting up a 10 or 20g tank for the starfish. (No problem with nano tanks, I have one now, a 20g mini-reef and I've had a 5g in the past). To complicate matters I was wondering if a calico crab could be added to the tank or will they try to eat each other???

Thanks for any input!

 

[Anonymous]

The crab I usually see offered as 'calico' is a species of Calappid - shame faced crab. They will probably be ok together the calappids are hell on snails and clams though and both the star and crab opportunists so beware!

 

[bdelaney]

I use to have a calico crab in a fish only tank. He would spend most of the day burried in the sand. At night he would cruise the tank. I kept him fed with some frozen silversides (leftovers from the miniatus grouper). Definitely a scavenger but not a very good hunter. Unless you put the food directly in front of him, he typically would not find it before one of the other large hermit crabs ate it. I'd bet he'd eat the starfish if he got a hold of it, but the chances of that would probably be slim.