Crabs etc and Soda Water

gregzz4 · #1 03-14-2012, 07:03 AM

Feb 2nd I bought my live rock and started curing it. Since then, every water change, I have noticed my brittle star population dwindling and losing legs. So, time to catch some crabs. I have at least one ( what I think is a ) Porcelain that I'd like the LFS to ID, but I see one guy with hairy spotted legs, and another I took in yesterday with big claws. He became Mantis food @ J&L.
The wife brought me home some soda water tonight as everywhere I went didn't carry any. Can you believe that? Esso, Chevron, 7-11 ... no mix.
Anyway, I plan on putting my curing rocks into a bucket and squirt some of the soda into the holes with a baster. I tried sitting the rocks in the dark in an empty bucket, but no go. I don't want to keep doing this as the rocks are almost finished curing.
So, lets see tomorrow how some Co2 works

Anyone have any other ideas? Keep in mind the rocks are in a rubbermaid ( covered ), so a trap won't work too well.

asylumdown · #2 03-15-2012, 04:03 AM

Does soda water kill them, or just cause them to come out from the rocks? I've never heard of that method before

gregzz4 · #3 03-15-2012, 09:57 PM

Doesn't kill 'em, unless they are stupid enough to stay put. The CO2 displaces O2 which is supposed to cause them to abandon ship.
I'll report back when I try it.

Myka · #4 03-16-2012, 02:31 AM

Vinegar works better, but does do some damage to the life on the rock.

gregzz4 · #5 03-16-2012, 04:43 AM

Did the trick. I used 1 2-litre bottle in a 2 gallon bucket, and then a second bottle to pour over the rocks. I found 3 crabs.
It also flushed out a bunch of amphipod shells. None of them were swimming when they came out, so I'll say they are just shed exoskeletons.
I also found one of those 'wood bug lookin' things swimming around.
Anyway, it looks like all the crabs are the same breed, once I look at them in the pics, even though the smallest one first looked like a Pom-Pom.
I think they are Porcelains but I don't know enough yet to call that for sure.
I'll take them in to JL in the next day or so, but what do you all think about what kind they are?
Friendly or not?

gregzz4 · #6 03-16-2012, 06:25 AM

Any thoughts on these crabs?