Crab ID

[~Flighty~]

I don't know where the heck this guy came from except maybe as a hitchhiker on rock I bought years ago. I haven't bought live rock or any mounted corals in ages. He must have grown up in the tank.

I noticed him because he had been breaking off pieces of digita and barricading himself in under a coral. I wouldn't have seen him except for me moving a clam left one of his walls exposed.

Any id ideas? (pics in next post)

 

[~Flighty~]

sorry for the poor quality pics...

 

[~Flighty~]

Teh internets tells me it is some sort of Xanthid species, likely to eat fish and clams as well as anything it can get its hands on.

 

[JustDavidP]

It is Xanthid.. it's most likely a fisher. Anything that mean looking goes into my sump

Dave

 

[Aquaman_68]

Teh internets tells me it is some sort of Xanthid species, likely to eat fish and clams as well as anything it can get its hands on.

It's a rock crab....They are nasty...They will break snail & hermit shells apart to eat the critters...When you see shells empty & spiraled as if they were cracked apart...You got a bigun in there.... They don't go after the snails or hermits till they get about the size of a ping pong ball....(yes they get that big!!!) Off to the sump or the freezer with that one!!!

 

[~Flighty~]

Well the kids named him Crabby McGrumpypants and he is residing in a nano on our kitchen table for now. This guy has been clipping off digita branches as big around as my thumb and decorating under clams for a while. I imagine some of the mysterious injuries I've seen on fish are from him. I'll sure keep my hands out of his tank.

 

[Jennifer]

Crabby McGrumpypants

LOL cindy. Kids are the best at naming things!!! Love it.

 

[bill120mph]

I just found a molt of one of these guys in my 180 after I moved all the rocks... I guess the hunt is on lol

 

[coldshutter]

black tips are bad