Red legged hairy intruder

[ron-salt-tank]

Today I spotted a multi-legged hairy intruder poking his claws out of a rock during feeding, I didn't get a look at the whole animal, but it had a pointed claw on its legs like my emerald crab.

Anyone got a clue what it is?? Is it bad for reef tank?

 

[Keithhjs]

Can u get a pic next time? If it had claws its probably a crab or a shrimp. Of it just looked line claws maybe its a bristle starfish. Hope it wasn't a mantis shrimp tho.

 

[ron-salt-tank]

Tried to get a pic, he went back in the hole before I could. I only saw his legs sticking out of hole, it didn't have a pincher type claw that I saw, it had a pointed claw on its feet like an emerald crab. I may try and spook him out of the hole and fill it in, it is a hole my jawfish abandoned when he moved.

 

[ron-salt-tank]

Finally found it dead in my aquarium. Any idea what it is? Is it possible there are more? Are they bad?

 

[User Name]

Looks like a molt, not a dead crab. I would suggest making a crab trap.

 

[Digger]

+1 on the molt. Be on the lookout, it is still in there, But what IT is, I have no idea.

 

[ron-salt-tank]

U guys were right, he's still there, got sort of a picture of him. I tried the mason jar with shrimp for two days, no luck. Any other suggestions? He's some sort of fiddler crab looking thing, he has one big and one small claw. He hides in the hole on my live rock.

 

[ron-salt-tank]

Pic of the intruder.

 

[samthefishman]

Interested to see what this is.

 

[User Name]

Too blurry to make out much in that photo. Did you try placing the jar angled against the live rock just outside his hole?

 

[ron-salt-tank]

I didn't, I'll try that. I just set it close to the rock.

 

[Crystal A]

Don't feed the tank for a few days and starve the buggar that way he will be hungry enough to jump into the jar. Hope it works.

 

[heythereyou94]

I know im super lat on this but did you ever figure out what that intruder was? Its kinda blury but from what I see I think he looks kinda cool.

 

[ron-salt-tank]

I'll try that crystal, he does look cool, just don't Know if he is aggressive, etc. I lost a royal gramma that used to hang out in that hole, never found him dead, wonder if he attacked and ate him in hole.

 

[Sniperhank]

I'd bet that it is either a matrix or gorilla crab...usually of the 2 it is the matrix crab. Basically a red version of the emerald crab. You'll get mixed advise on them. Some hate them and think that all crabs are bad. IMO, the red and green matrix crabs are scavangers. If they are well fed enough they won't become opportunistic towards corals. It is more likely that your gramma died and was simply cleaned up by your CUC and said crab. Keep in mind, this is why you have these guys in your tank. They usually get a bad rep as "murderers" because they are seen eating a corpse, rather than them doing the job you put them in the tank to begin with.

 

[Crystal A]

+1 to sniper hank couldn't agree more.

 

[ron-salt-tank]

After looking at pics, I'm almost positive it is a gorilla crab, it has black tips on claws like they said it should. Is that bad? He's pretty big, quarter or better size with legs.

 

[User Name]

I very much doubt this is a Mithraculus forceps as Sniperhank suggests. The chances of finding one as a hitchhiker are slim to nil. Also be careful ron-salt-tank. When someone says gorilla crab, they are actually saying Xanthid crab. There are like 572 different species of crab in this family. So, no one can tell you its behaviour, just generalities. Xanthid crabs are the most common type of hitchhiking crabs. Most reefers would remove crabs out of their tank from this family.

 

[ron-salt-tank]

Finally caught him!

 

[herp_mommy]

looks like some sort of xanthid. Close to the family Lybia, but not exactly. Good luck figuring out what he is.

Xanthidae - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia