crab ID needed

[pglenn]

A friend gave me a brackish/salt crab from his tank that he had caught in the intercoastal (Florida/ Fort lauderdale). I am not sure I want to keep it as I dont have any idea what it is. unfortunately I dont have any pics and havent found any identical one on the internet though the below is similar.

color-wise he matched this:
http://www.enature.com/fieldguide/s...pID=8&shapeID=1063&curPageNum=1&recnum=SC0005

shape wise he is a bit closer to the green crab also pictured on that site, which has similar thinner claws and legs to mine but much darker coloring than mine:
http://www.enature.com/fieldguide/s...pID=8&shapeID=1063&curPageNum=5&recnum=SC0009


What I have is about 1inch wide by about 3/4 deep body, with about 3/4 to 1inch legs. Very similar to the above image in shape and color, with the shell being slightly lightly brown and only the front claws showing any color, not the legs. The legs are thinner than the above image, and the claws thin but a bit longer - more like the green-crab. The odd thing with this crab is that he only has the claws and then 3 sets of legs, not 4. unless the rear have both been lost (not expected) or are just stubs or something. personality-wise, it likes to bury itself in the sand/gravel with just the eyes visible and try to grab anything that goes by in the water. this is the worry part for me - I dont want something aggresive and/or that is going to grow to a large size, but if he stays the same size I can deal with the aggresion by possibly moving to a different tank - I have a 2nd reef tank that will soon be ready for an occupant

anyways the above site is the best I have found for pics but still nothing exactly matching mine. any help on identifying will be appreciated.

Patrick

 

[loganj]

While I can't identify your crab based on the info provided, I can say that almost no crab is truly reef safe. Emeralds, Sally Lightfoots, and hermits are some that you can often get away with keeping in a reef tank...but not always. If you are going to keep a wild caught crab, that is most likely carnivorous, you'll have to be very careful what goes in with it. This is not to say that a crab can't be a neat pet though. He might be a good candidate for a small FO style tank with some sand and a couple of pieces of LR...depends on you. My advice would be to not add him to a reef tank and, if you currently have him in a reef tank, remove him. JMHO.

 

[pglenn]

I certainly wouldnt put an unknown - or too many known species for that matter - in a true reef tank with other inverts and coral. I said that because I currently have a 29g salt with live rock sitting and waiting for some occupants type undecided and it was just an idea to put this crab in there. That of course would depend on the hopeful ID of said crab. CLosest I can come to so far is a type of blue or more likely green crab.

Patrick

 

[loganj]

I certainly wouldnt put an unknown - or too many known species for that matter - in a true reef tank with other inverts and coral.

Smart move . Sorry if I misunderstood. Is there any way you can get a pic? There are so many different kinds of crabs...

 

[seafan]

It is probably a green, just because they are more common and easier to catch.

 

[pglenn]

well it is definitely not a green. It just molted and it actually seems to be a good 1/4 inch larger - perhaps just my imagination, I hope. and now it has the fifth pair of legs, paddles, in the back, so it is some form of swimming crab. but again the claws do seem to be too long and thin for a blue.

I am very P-O'ed at myself now for putting this thing in my tank. It is a heavily planted tank with many places to hide. I will have to devise some form of trap as I dont want to uproot my entire tank to catch him. maybe he will just do me a favor and die as it is a freshwater and he came from a brackish intercoastal.

Patrick

 

[pglenn]

ok, so I moved my monster to my 29g salt tank, which has a nice live/semi-live rock mountain built up, hollow underneath the rock (rock built up on a shelf platform) and he seems quite content, except that he has grown again and the carapace is now at least 2 - 2.5" wide. His arms/claws have fattened up so they have a bit of bulk to them, but still not the size of the blue crab pic but the carapace does match the blue crab pic pretty well. he doesnt have the blue on the legs. he would be fine if he stayed this size but I dont think he will.

companions in the tank include 2 unidentified blennies/gobies (each about 2") and a number of 1" or so unidentified minnows/swimmers. I am curious to see how long they all last, both the crab and the black blenny go after the smaller fish. The crab may not stay another week if he continues to grow.

Patrick