local beach crabs in a reef tank

[Nicole.]

Didn't you buy a rhizo?..pretty sure those are expensive

But in all seriousness, why take the risk of endangering a crab or your tank?

Just shell out the $10.

[Samw]

Most of the little crabs on our local beaches that you find under rocks etc are commonly refered to as shore crabs.

The ones larger than a twoonie are not shore crabs and are probably one of the protected ones that require a license to harvest the adults such as Rock or Dungenous crab.

http://www.birdsonthebay.ca/pdf%20fi...ter-FoSBs2.pdf

"
Every kid loves to turn over rocks and chase shore crabs. It’s instinctual with prey of that size and speed and
harmlessness- like a game of cat and mouse. Johnny has a great day at the beach and on the bus home compares how
many crabs he caught with Melvin. Without realizing it, while enjoying the day on the beach, their visit harmed or killed
many crabs and other beach creatures.
The problem is that crabs die in buckets without plenty of water. They
have gills- they breathe water. Between March and June crabs are also
molting and breeding making them very vulnerable. Every year they are
innocently decimated over only 5 weeks when thousands of kids visit the
Beecher Place section of Crescent Beach.

"

"No bigger than a Twoonie
• Crabs that are larger than the size of a Twoonie are not shore or hermit crabs.
• They are most often juvenile Dungeness or Red rock crabs which are legally protected.
• It is against wildlife regulations to remove protected crabs from the ocean for more than the few minutes it takes to ID, size and sex them."
"

[The Guy]

Katie at J&L gave me a tiny white crab about the size of a pencil eraser, I put him in my nano, I've seen him once in 2 months. I'm changing up to a 33 gallon nano soon so I'll have watch for him.