Any reef safe crabs?

[gauma369]

I am looking at getting a crab for my 120 gal tank. I currently have a skunk cleaner shrimp and plan to add a fire cleaner shrimp as well. Are there any reef safe crabs I can get that WONT destroy my two cleaner shrimp? If not would a peppermint shrimp be ok with the other to cleaners?

[Sisterlimonpot]

Emerald crabs are a cornerstone for my CUC. they keep the vermieten algae at bay

[gauma369]

wow thanks for quick response... and he will let my cleaners alone? and I have bare bottom tank will he still be ok?

[Sisterlimonpot]

Yep, they tend to stay on the rockwork anyway so barebottom will be fine.

[gauma369]

do they do ok with their own kinda? like if I put 2 in?

[Sisterlimonpot]

Yes I had 4 in my 125. I actually witness a spawning ritual. that looked like the male was going to eat the female. they were locked in a struggle. but after researching it was them mating.

[shereth]

Second that. I have 3 in my 75g - originally only two but had another one come in as a hitchhiker. One of the three went on this unbelievable growth spurt a few weeks back and literally doubled in size, looks gargantuan compared to his tankmates. I was half afraid it'd go on some kind of evil rampage and eat anything it could get its claws on, but it's as peaceful as it ever was.

[Sisterlimonpot]

My wife started a new habit and began feeding them nori during feeding time. so when the pumps go off for feeding the crabs are at the top of the tank with their arms stretched to the sky waiting to be fed.

[rtaylors3]

I have 2 in my 75 and I saw one picking off bubble algae and eating it! Yes! I did see one pulling on the kenya tree though but that didn't bother me. I was actually wishing they would eat it all! lol

[der_wille_zur_macht]

People easily forget my favorite (TOTALLY) reef safe crab: The anemone crab:

http://i924.photobucket.com/albums/ad82/nenders/ABC_REEFS043.jpg

They are essentially filter feeders, capturing food from the water column with specially adapted featherlike appendages. Of course they're happiest with a host, so not a realistic option for many people.

[FranktheTankTx]

I love the electric blue reef hermit. I think they're beautiful!!

[gauma369]

if you took that picture its amazing!! and I will be adding a anemone once my lighting gets here so Ill wait to get him but he is really cool. Will he be fine with the 2 cleaners and the emerald? I really like little things crawling around its a nice addition to fish and corals. So I would overall like 1 skunk cleaner, 1 fire cleaner, 1 maybe 2 emerald, and when i get anemone a anemone crab. they will all get along and be happy?

[der_wille_zur_macht]

I took that photo on a whim at an LFS a month or two ago, it's one of my favorites.

Your stock list sounds fine. Emeralds can get in scuffles with other inverts from time to time, but they're almost always fine. The 'nem crab will stick to his host so tightly no one will have a chance to bother him. :D

[Sisterlimonpot]

der,
aren't sally light foots reef safe?

[MaJaCa]

nem crabs are porcelain crabs right?

[Kataro]

pom pom crabs are nice

[der_wille_zur_macht]

der,
aren't sally light foots reef safe?

Never had or desired one, so I've never bothered to research them. All I will say is that just about any crab that's not specialized for filter feeding will be an opportunistic predator if the mood strikes them.

nem crabs are porcelain crabs right?

Yeah, that's another common name for them. Neopetrolisthes maculatus or Neopetrolisthes oshimai, to be specific. I don't like to keep them without a suitable host (unlike, say, a clownfish which will do fine without a host) since it can lead them to inhabit corals and/or stay hidden most of the time. Plus, it's just really cool to watch them on an anemone!

[tinyfish]

There are blue porcelain crabs which are filter feeders and acropora crabs which are supposed to eat pests on SPS.

[Elysia]

There are other porcelain crabs, Petrolisthes spp. They don't require any sort of anemone host. Instead, they live amongst the rocks and can be reclusive, but they are interesting, beautiful, and completely safe.

[Frogmanx82]

Would an anemone crab host in a frogspawn and would that be bad?

[ralphie]

I have always had a sally in my 75 tank and it has never gone after any of my fish or corals. Every so often I will drop in sinking shrimp pellets for the bottom critters to eat.

[pmcadams]

I took that photo on a whim at an LFS a month or two ago, it's one of my favorites.

Amazing photograph, great shot.