[Reefmanic]

Hi All,

I have a Bubble Algae issue in my system.. I bought 5 Emerald crabs.. about the size of a dime in body size(w/o legs).. I find that they are eating my corals and some (not much) Bubble Algae!! So far they have eaten some of my Stylaphora, some Bird nest (Seriotopera) and Green star polyps.

Ok now what? I can pull them out (good luck getting em), then I still have a Bubble Algae issue for which I bought them .. if I pull the corals, then they will not be happy since my 2nd tank is not as brightly lit .. plus that implies that the corals can't go back in since the crabs will be waiting for them with hunger in their eyes..grr

One last thing is, if I do pull the corals out, how likely is it that these little monsters will stay away from other corals?

I had read that the Emerald crabs were not harmful to corals.. what gives?..

Am I just cursed?


..sigh

thnx for any feedback

JP

 

[georgiajams]

1. How do you know they are eating the corals? Could they just be picking the gunk off them?

2. You might try the old "shrimp in a tilted glass" trick to trap the crabs.

FWIW, I haven't had any problems with my green crabs. I have green star polyps and they don't eat them. Although, they haven't been eating the 2 latest bubbles of bubble algea either.

-Chris

 

[Ray1214]

My Emeralds didn't eat teh bubble algae but my scarlet reef hermits did. However both of my denizens are pretty docile and leave me corals alone. I did have an angle crab go hanibal lector on my fish though. I caught him with tupperware container with a small neck and used some krill as bait.

Ray

 

[Reefmanic]

georgiajams ..well it s SEEMS like they are eating them. I have an Acropora crab and he cleans his coral. These guys look like they are doing the same thing as the Acropora crab but there are now bare spots on the 3 corals where they have 'snacked on em'.. I wish I really knew.. haven't tried to catch em yet since I am looking for any options..

Ray1214.. Hannibal Lecter on your fish huh? I guess that wouldn't be so good neither

I am monitoring but it sure seems like they are.. I guess time will tell.

thanks for the info so far folks

 

[ckreef]

I caught an emerald crab eating a coral once. I actually watched him cut a piece off w/ his claw and shove the piece in his mount. I immediatly dove into the tank. He hunkered down like I couldn't see him. I scooped him out and put him in the SpongeBob home for wayward crabs.

I then had my share of fun w/ the "killer crab" that "destroyed Tokyo" (do a search under c_k_kuehne for the complete story)

There were many members who followed my trials and tribulations w/ different crabs. The lesson I learned is that any crab can and will eat corals if he so desires. No more crabs for my tanks --- EVER --- It was just way to hard getting the Killer Crab out of the tank and into the SpongeBob home for wayward crabs. Where he currently resides on a meager ration of maybe one feeding per month.

 

[Stanfill Reef]

My emeralds have not touched my corals, albeit I don't have a lot yet. And have not touched my polyps in the year since we purchased them. They did decimate the bubble algae population, but never quite got rid of all of the bubbles. There are always a few here and there. I will occasionally "harvest" the algea with by removing the worst rock and popping the bubbles off with a small knife, being very careful not to pop them. This does wonders for the short term.

 

[Reefmanic]

Boy talk about your variances... I think maybe its a tank specific thing.. maybe some enyzme or protein is setting them off.. just a scientific wild guess.

I still need to make absolutely sure though.. I don't want to bite off my nose to spite my face.

It would be real nice if they did eat the Bubble Algae vs me placing them in a tank for wayward crabs

thanks for all the feedback.. the more the merrier!

 

[PufferMatt]

Where he currently resides on a meager ration of maybe one feeding per month.

LOL thats pretty mean Charles.

 

[ckreef]

LOL thats pretty mean Charles.

Check out this thread

Killer Crab Destroys Tokyo

You'll understand why we run the spongeBob Home for Wayward Crabs as a hard labor camp. The other option was Capital punishment --- slow death by dehydration.

 

[Reefmanic]

Well Charles I never saw that thread till now. I now see the light. OMG.. I WAS ROTFLMAO TOO.... what a hoot!!!

so did you ever catch the convict?

JP

 

[ckreef]

OK --- I should have also posted the conclussion threads so here they are:

Tokyo My Gheto

and the final conclusion

Tokyo has been Liberated !!!!!

Maybe I'll feed the little prisoners tonight and add a little water --- It's ben awile and I bet the salinity is getting way up there

 

[PufferMatt]

okay that is hilarious!! Glad you finally caught him... after reading that, i think he definitely deserves what he gets.

 

[Ray1214]

I personally think that each crab, whether hermit or other wise can be either good or bad for any tank. I have had my share of bad ones...(I actually read that thread on another forum and didn't realize that this charles and the one on reef central were the same person. I just thought it odd that two people had a spongebob home for wayward crabs). Anyways I keep a tank with 2 GSPs and a FIG8 in a Marine tank, they have about 5 or 6 crabs as roomies. 4 of them are hermits that just grew to big for me to want comfortably in my tank (one is the size of my fist), and one is a pseudo black emerald crab thing I found chomping on a shroom, and I have two porclean crab things that I received from another ARC member. They do keep the puffer tank clean I will say. And surpisingly, i will but a crayfish in and the puffers will attack and eat it as well as snails but they leave the hermits and the crabs alone.

Ray