Help! Evil Crab

[Silvio]

About 2 weeks ago, I observed a large crab in one of my tanks. It was making its way around the rock with a snail in its claws. It was gray with red eyes and black on its claws. The tank has been running for almost 3 years (8 months in my care), yet it had never been before. Judging by the way it was abducting the snail, I'll go out on a limb and say it's not reef safe.

I did some research on reef central and I believe it is a xanthid crab. The suggested method of trapping it is to place some meaty food in a glass jar on the bottom of the tank, leaning against the live rock. The theory is that once the crab gets down in the jar, it will be unable to climb back up the smoothe glass.

Does anyone have any experience with trapping unwanted crabs?

 

[Lam]

Frank,

Congratulations in joining the masses. The bottle/jar works great.

 

[Silvio]

Thanks Lam. I will try it tonight.

 

[dad300]

It will work. I got a crab out like that right after I got my rock. I didn't have a fuge then so I killed it. NOW I would put it in my fuge.

 

[Sideburns]

I have an evil crab to get myself. I will try the bottle method and see if it works.

 

[Scuba_Dave]

I have 2 in my 55g, but have never seen them eating snails. I do see them eat flake food & picking at the rocks. And they will eat anything that is dead (my Hare)

 

[IffersTankSlave]

Is there a kind of seance or cleansing ritual you can perform to make them less evil?

 

[Scuba_Dave]

Yes, you baptise them with a hammer

 

[Ifferfish]

Or you could just take him to a local fish store... maybe even get a credit for him!!!

 

[Silvio]

Credit from the LFS... good idea.