gone to the dark side.

[mistermismatch]

i used to have nothing but good things to say about emerald crabs. i have 1 in my 55g with tons of live rock and he was a model citizen. the other day i nothed my coral beauty was missing a fin and i had no idea why. i thought maybe my aggressive damsel was picking at him. today im on the phone and i look over to see my Em. crab had a vice grib on the beauty!. i poked and prodded with a rod but that didnt work. i had to stick my hand in and separate them... long story short, i want him out. will he be okay in the sump??? are there "crab traps" to get these things out without destroying the tank? i tried getting to him but everytime i lifted the rock he was in he moved to another. sucks too cuz i really liked him he was probaby in my top 5 favs in the tank

 

[rush]

Em crabs are hit and miss. They can be cool, or evil!

I recently had to remove my reef lobster, because something in my tank is killing off fish. No deaths since I removed him, but I also have two Em crabs kicking around in my 120g. No way to get them out except to take apart the tank, I tried it all with the reef lobster and got lucky and cornered him and got him out. After moving the complete right side of my tank.

I am moving in a month, and will have to take the whole tank down, when I do this no more crabs, no more lobsters. They are all staying in my sump with my brittle star and lobster.

For a creature that you never see, I do not see the benefit of them in a main tank. They are good for your eco system, but keep them in a sump. If you do not have get rid of them.

 

[melosu58]

There was something wrong with the fish for the crab to get him. He was already pretty gone and the crab got him. A healty coral beauty would not the heck out of an emerald crab if he got close. IME anyway.

 

[rush]

There was something wrong with the fish for the crab to get him. He was already pretty gone and the crab got him. A healty coral beauty would not the heck out of an emerald crab if he got close. IME anyway.

This is somewhat true, but like he said his fin had been attacked. So something weakened him, most likely the crab while the beauty was sleeping. I have seen my lobster attack fish in the dark when they were sleeping. Normally speaking he would not come close.

In a weakened state though, he is a perfect snack. But, if a fish is weak, why risk having him eaten by something that you never see and is worth a fifth of what you would pay for a nice fish like the beauty

 

[mistermismatch]

There was something wrong with the fish for the crab to get him. He was already pretty gone and the crab got him. A healty coral beauty would not the heck out of an emerald crab if he got close. IME anyway.

The beauty was ambushed. i saw it all go down lol. its eating well and even with one pectoral fin left he seems to be doing good. swimming strong. its been like that for a few days now since the first incident. the crab was chillin in a popular hole about 2 inches in diameter that my fish like going through.

 

[mistermismatch]

This is somewhat true, but like he said his fin had been attacked. So something weakened him, most likely the crab while the beauty was sleeping. I have seen my lobster attack fish in the dark when they were sleeping. Normally speaking he would not come close.

In a weakened state though, he is a perfect snack. But, if a fish is weak, why risk having him eaten by something that you never see and is worth a fifth of what you would pay for a nice fish like the beauty

i completely agree with removing the emerald even though i loved him. he really wasnt as hidden as emeralds usually are. and by the way the beuaty is still alive. i really dont think he was weak, just caught off guard. i almost got the crab a few mins ago as he was sittin on a ledge but he scurried into a crack.

 

[rush]

thats a smart crab lol

his fins will grow back, if he stays alive

get that crab out asap though, or you will not have a beauty left

one night of being weak like that and its all over

 

[0o.Kelsey.o0]

try the glass trick. Lean a glass against the rock with a little food in the bottom. The crab will go in to get the food but will not be able to get back out...try it at night so the fish don't steal the food.

 

[shorty412]

I had an issue with emerald crabs eating my corals. Cheap way to remove is a plastic medium sized water bottle. Empty and remove the label. Cut off the top just above the label and flip the top upside down and insert it into the other portion of the water bottle. The end result should be a water bottle with the top inserted in the bottle so if a crab enters through the opening it can not escape. I placed a piece of krill in the bottle and caught two emerald crabs, cleaner shrimp, and several peppermint shrimp. Very simple and cost is about $1.00. Google the trap and it will show how to cut and insert the bottle