Flashlight Finds Big Freakin' Crab
 

Holy cow!

Like the knucklehead I am :cool: , I got the flashlight out again to have a look at our 42 hex. Didn't have to look long to find another night critter. This time it's a two-jellybean sized grey crab hiding in the hole where the lost fish used to hang out.

Don't know if the crab is the perp who ate my fish, but what a face on him :eek: And claws, too :eek: :eek: He'd be the kind of guy I'd put in our 2.5 gal if I could catch him. The 2.5's almost cycled now with a nitrite reading of .25 ppm today, down from Sunday's 5 ppm, so critters'll be okay in it.

Praise the flashlight and pass the critter catcher :exclaim:

Re: Flashlight Finds Big Freakin' Crab
 

Caught the crab last night with the two flashlight approach and a pair of tweezers while he was running around on the sandbed. Then into the 2.5 gal he went.

Think I might rearrange the rock in the 7 gal and put a small piece of rock from it into the 2.5 to give the crab a hiding place. He sure looks lonely in there with only an astrea and a very small clump of green polyps for company.

Not knowing if he's the culprit who ate our fish or not makes it pretty hard to add a fish to this tank at some point in the future, or anything else for that matter, like peppermint shrimp. Maybe the 2.5 will be our Big Freakin' Crab reef :wink:

pictures?

Okay, but I warned you :eek:

http://www.lostmymarblz.com/2-5-crabphotos.htm

Did I see something like that in the hitchiker FAQ. :question: :question:

Where could I find the hitchhiker FAQ?

how active is he?

Very active. I'm pretty sure he's completely freaked with no place to hide :cry: I'm going to the LFS that I know has cured rock to see if I can pick up a small piece for him to hide under.

I will now try to insert a link.
http://www.reefs.org/hhfaq/pages/mai.../faq_rock2.htm

I will now try to insert a link.
http://www.reefs.org/hhfaq/pages/mai.../faq_rock2.htm[/quote]

Thanks for the link :smile:

This looks like our crab:

http://www.reefs.org/hhfaq/pages/pic...faq_crabs.html

The FAQ didn't say if these guys are or aren't harmful to fish or corals. For the time being, he'll stay in the 2.5 gal. It may become his tank, who knows?

Anyone else with a crab in their reefs? What is he up to besides looking for a hiding place?

Oops, spoke too soon. He's now hiding under the sand.