Perc Clowns attacking Crab !

[KSum89]

I have a sally lightfoot hitch hiker crab.. Im trying to remove it but i guess i will have better luck later tonight catching it.

The clowns are biting the crab everytime it comes out of a hole in the rock.. Im just wondering why they are attacking it?? I dont want to kill it.. Just want to take it back to the lfs. It only has 1 claw left, i just found the other claw on top of the sand bed. My smallest clown is the one picking on it, i saw it hovering over the spot i last seen the crab for 5 straight minutes.

 

[MacDracor]

Clownfish are kinda mean, frankly. Once they stake out a territory, they will defend it. Some clowns will even bite the hand that feeds if it gets in the water.
If you want to catch the crab, try a small glass bottle, tilted against the rocks, with food in the bottom.

 

[KSum89]

Yea the bigger clown tries bite my hand if i dont have a glove on, got bit once. They never bother another fish.. They are just picking on this crab for some reason. The small one keeps going over to its cave looking for it, the big one just patrols the right side of my aquarium.. 55 gallons.

I have the bottle with shrimp in it, the clowns wot let the crab leave from the rock to get to it though. It has tried and got bit multiple times, in hoping the crab will get caught in the bottle tonight and stay there until the morning.. Its already lost a arm

 

[crister13]

Wow. Mean clown lol. Hopefully you can get the crab and bring him to the lfs!!!! Can you just grab the crab with your hand?

 

[KSum89]

Hes too small and quick, he is like the size of a dime

 

[AwfulArabella]

I had perc clowns literally 5 mins and the attacked everything in my tank the got my skunk shrimp and all I had to take them back an hour later they were a night mare and it's not like they had territory they weren't there long enough so it's obviously there nature, hope things look up for you and your Sally light foot there a lovely crab

 

[KSum89]

I just checked my aquarium, it is in the glass. In going to take him to the LFS monday. I have some water and a hydor put aside for him.
So the trap was a success.


But its weird, my clowns never harm anything else. I had them in a small 17 gallon bowfront and they never bothered my turbo snail or my cleaner shrimp or any other fish. Just that crab.

 

[AwfulArabella]

Maybe they knew you didn't want him haha , do you mind me asking why your taking the crab back ? I'd love if I found a crab that wasn't a pest all I ever get are the pests haha

 

[KSum89]

Lol thats what popped in my head, my clowns knew i was trying to get it out so they attacked to help.

It will become a pest when it gets bigger, he probably was a threat to the clowns... I dont see any other reason why my clowns were trying to attack it. It probably took out all my cerith snails, i only have 1 left.

Dont want it around my snails and any other small fish i may put in my aquarium.

 

[crister13]

Some fish are just mean. My grouper attacks everything that's not a threat. Lol

 

[AwfulArabella]

Cool I didn't no they became pests ? How big is your tank do you have much live rock?