NEOPETROLISTHES OHSHIMAI ?

[cyro]

What do you think about these porcelen crabs? what do they need?
what is happening if there is no anemone in the tank? could i see them in the tank?
what is your suggestion can they be 4 or 5 in the tank? are they totally harmless to other tank mates and corals?

 

[Anonymous]

How big is your tank? In a large enough tank you might get away with two pairs.
On the reefs they they are found in mated pairs, buying 2 that are not mates
will result in warfare.
They are filter feeders and will not harm fish or corals.

mario

 

[Anonymous]

I love porcelain crabs. I keep a breeding pair in my tank.

what do they need?

They're filter feeders, primarily. If your tank can support a good growth of fanworms and featherdusters, odds are a porcelain crab will find enough food. You can always supplement with fine particulate foods, though.

what is happening if there is no anemone in the tank? could i see them in the tank?

Very often they'll find a surrogate, taking up residence in leather corals and the like. They don't always though. Without a "host" you'll likely see very little of them during the daytime, but they'll come out once the lights go off.

what is your suggestion can they be 4 or 5 in the tank? are they totally harmless to other tank mates and corals?

Totally harmless except to members of their own species. They can be aggressive with each other unless they're a pair, wouldn't recommend trying a group of them.

 

[cyro]

thank you very much.. then i will buy 2 of them..
i like them very very much. but it is hard to find here. finally i found 4 of there crabs. and of corse i wanna them. but the point is could they harm hermit crabs or anything else?

http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.p ... 31#1158631
here is the link about my tank..

 

[mr_X]

i have porcelain crabs and they don't look like that. i have 4 in the tank and they don't harm anything. mine are reddish brown and have 2 fan-like appendages that they filter feed with. hmm...... :?

 

[Anonymous]

i have porcelain crabs and they don't look like that. i have 4 in the tank and they don't harm anything. mine are reddish brown and have 2 fan-like appendages that they filter feed with. hmm...... :?

There are several different species of porcelain crabs, they don't all look the same. The pictured variety is the one that shows up in the trade with the most frequency, though, as it's generally considered the most attractive.

As long as yours has the legs ending in the modified feeding structures it's safe to assume they are, indeed, porcelain crabs. That said I'll advise you to keep an eye on them over time for aggression with each other.

 

[mr_X]

ok. thanks. i was under the impression that the above picture was an anemone crab. that's the point i was trying to make i guess.