Bad Crabs?
 

Every once in awhile I find some orange-ish like crab shells lying around. After they molt I guess, but I've never seen the crab or crabs. They must be nocturnal. Has anyone ran into these guys before and could you tell me if they are bad news. My gut feeling says they are. Any info would be great. Thanks :smile:

Can you pinpoint what they've been doing that is bad? If not, they probably aren't bad enough to worry about.

What Brad said.

Well, I'm not sure . I thought after hermits and Emeralds you didn't want any other type of crab in your tank. I am missing a fish but then he is known for taking vacations before. I'm not too worried yet about the crab/crabs but was hopping to get some feed back on them first before I panic. They seem to have orange-ish body and limbs with black pintchers. I also see the odd fish with a nick or small chunk taken out of it's fins or sides. They heel quickly though. Not sure whats going on , but would rather be safe than sorry.

Here's a link to Dec 2003 article by R.Shimek in Reefkeeping mag.If theres enough molt left maybe you can id the crab.click on the names in the article to get the pictures.Good luck




http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-12/rs/index.htm

Try catching him in a trap

Thanks folks for the replies. I'm good at fishing not sure about crabing. I'll soon find out. :smile: Thanks again