black crab - Aquarium Advice

kms907 · 10-26-2009, 12:52 AM

There is a crab in my tank that never comes out...my brother saw it once and said it looked like an emerald crab but its body was black and shiny and its legs looked algae covered...its been in there since i got my liverock in march..the only reason i knew it was in there is because i found the odd shedding. It hasn't caused any harm to my corals or fish that i know of but id still like to know what he is

Thanks!

tony1021 · 10-26-2009, 07:25 PM

should try and snap a pic...would be a lot more helpful

divedeep1689 · 10-26-2009, 08:18 PM

tony he says he never comes out so he cant but kms have you searched for him after lights off its prob a nocturnal crab most are i believe...

kms907 · 10-26-2009, 08:39 PM

i have tried looking for it at night and it doesnt seem to come out ever! ha ha i think i saw its legs once but it was still in a crack of the rock so i couldnt see its body. it looked like he was eating algae maybe?

mrg02d · 10-26-2009, 11:29 PM

Seems to me that if he has been in there for that long and hasnt caused any trouble that he is fine. He may wind up being trouble one day though. I would imagine he would have committed some crimes by now if he was a bad boy.
Matt

kms907 · 10-27-2009, 12:55 AM

oh no i dont think he is any trouble at all i just like to know information about what is living in my tank...and its hard to find when i dont know the name ha ha. i guess i will just keep searching though

**roka64** · 10-28-2009, 11:53 AM

Maybe a decorator crab? Did he see the claws?

kms907 · 11-01-2009, 09:32 PM

breakthrough!! i saw him today...well sorta ha ha i saw his big claw..it didn't look like it had any algae on it so i dont know what my brother saw haha. it was light brown with a dark brown tip....also i saw my pom pom crab which i thought was long gone...its amazing how well they can hide in only a 28 gal tank!

kms907 · 11-01-2009, 09:54 PM

okay im starting to tihnk he is not a good crab....looking up dark tipped crabs and thinking he is possibly a small stone crab.
liverock :: crabs.jpg picture by mrfiremouth - Photobucket
this image is what i think he would look like....and also now that a think of it i did once have two peppermint shrimp who mysteriously dissapeared :/

dannyb · 11-01-2009, 10:21 PM

Stick a drinking glass in your tank with abit of meat on the bottom of it when the lights go out, Say like white bait or something. Put it leaning on a rock or something So he can climb in, but he will not be able to get out as he cannot grip to anything. Once you've caught him, Have a look, Do some research and if its good, Put him back in, if not, Give him to your LFS or something.