Saltwater & Reef

kettle92 · 04-28-2017, 09:43 AM

Hey there,

As I notice some coral decaying I took a red light and looked through my tank a couple of nights. I found a black-clawed crab in the tank that I didn't add so I'm thinking he was a hitchhiker when I got a couple of new coral from my local Petco.
I also noticed later on that my red starfish was all beat up and missing some arms. So my question is would a black clawed crab do this? I've tried getting him out of the tank but he is a tough one to get out also when I do get him out should I bag him up and bring him to petco or put him in my other tank or let him die? He seems to be a pest. I'm pretty sure he is the reason for the prolong death of a couple of corals now. Hope to hear back from someone.

**melosu58** · 04-28-2017, 12:30 PM

The star could be deteriorating if you exposed him to air at any time. They can not be exposed to air even if for a second to take him out of the bag. Is this a big black claw. The big claws are predator crabs.

kettle92 · 04-28-2017, 12:59 PM

I couldn't really tell ; I would say he was the size of half my palm. As for the star fish that's good to know. Apparently the guy who got the starfish must have been new because he grabbed the starfish from the tank and put him on the bag without surrounding him with water so that maybe made him sick. I'll get another one and be sure they properly handle the star.

**melosu58** · 04-28-2017, 03:28 PM

Make him put the bag in the tank and put the star in there underwater and when you get home let it float in the tank awhile adding water from your take a cup at a time and then QUICKLY put the bag under water and snatch the star and pull the bag out so as to as little as possible water from the bag get into your tank. Works every time. Remember no air at all.