DEAD CRAB

[snowdude]

I saw a dead crab @ the base of my live rock this morning. it is about 3/8" big. Is this bad? could there be more? Could this be a reason why one of my clowns died?

 

[Anemoneman]

I saw a dead crab @ the base of my live rock this morning. it is about 3/8" big. Is this bad?

It is for the crab!

could there be more?

Maybe

Could this be a reason why one of my clowns died?

Probably not but may be an indication of water quality. Was the clown exhibiting any symptoms before his death? Spots, sores, erratic behaviour, etc.?

 

[snowdude]

well i did a water change last week, all testing came out positive. the clown seemed lethargic, swimming on the bottom of the tank. Now my other 2 fish (clown and tang) seem to have ICH. but my shrimp and blemmy are just fine. aargh!!!!!!! The one that died had white fungus type stuff on him, but later that day the fungus was gone, i assumed the shrimp cleaned him. then a few hours later he was gone.

 

[alarmguy66]

when crabs molt it looks EXACTLY like a dead crab, are you sure it wasnt just an exoskeleton?

 

[snowdude]

good point, i will have to fish it out tonight (no pun intended) But either way, is it undesirable to have them in my tank, in other words will it have a bad effect on the fish?

 

[dralarms]

If it's a molt then no it's fine to leave in the tank. I think the crab will actually go back to it and eat part of it to strengthen his shell.

 

[snowdude]

should i try to get the live crab out of my tank?

 

[jackdp]

The crab is only bad to have in your tank if he does bad things in your tank. Some crabs eat coral polyps, some larger crabs can go after fish, most will just eat leftovers and algae. If its still alive, try to get a positive ID on it and keep an eye on it to determine if its bothering anything else in the tank.

 

[WarOrks15]

i feel that all crabs are bad. they have some really big claws and there is aways the possablity of them killing stuff. if they come out and show them selfs quick grab them out other wise it will be hard to get them out again. i just got one of the hitchhikers out of my tank last night with a cup and some raw shrimp i only got one out but i think there are still more.

 

[snowdude]

What is a good trap?