Emerald crab...

[tennesseebob]

I just got home from work to see my emerald crab going ham on my star polyps, peeling the mat off its rock and everything, now he's in the fudge...dunno what to do with him.

[Isaacs55]

Jeez I'm sorry to here that...trade him in to your lfs? I'm doing that when I get home from work...hopefully hmine hasn't killed my clown..it's making me nervous

[tennesseebob]

I'll, try, but being only $8 I doubt I'll get anything, I'll be happy if they just take it off my hands lol

[daveM100]

I have a few rubies, they were well behaved when they were small. Now they irritate the hell out of my nems. They will will goto the fuge in the new system lol.

[Dkuhlmann]

I really hate seeing this as I've been warning everyone about them. Once they molt from a med size to a Large size they go stupid crazy. Before that when they are young and small they are fantastic to have in the tank. Will go through everything cleaning algae between stalks of corals, the sand, rocks, glass etc. But The day comes when they turn into the HULK. Anne named mine Bruiser! Someone needs to setup an Emerald Green Crab Exchange to trade out small ones for the nasty breeders. If that doesn't work sell them as Mantis Shrimp food.

[Isaacs55]

I really hate seeing this as I've been warning everyone about them. Once they molt from a med size to a Large size they go stupid crazy. Before that when they are young and small they are fantastic to have in the tank. Will go through everything cleaning algae between stalks of corals, the sand, rocks, glass etc. But The day comes when they turn into the HULK. Anne named mine Bruiser! Someone needs to setup an Emerald Green Crab Exchange to trade out small ones for the nasty breeders. If that doesn't work sell them as Mantis Shrimp food.

Welcome back! That was a short nap! Yea mine is definitely the HULK already lol I'm going on an emerald crab rampage and warning people not to get them lol or change their locations lol

[Shawn O]

I heard there is a farm in New Hampshire where you can send your Emeralds where they can live free and play with the other unwanted crabs. It must be near the one for dogs and cats. :D

Seriously though, it seems like it's an animal that should only be bought if you have a sump to move it to or create a crab only tank when the time comes. Same for Coral Bandeds and Arrows.

[water is wet]

I keep 8 of them and have had them for a couple of years and have never seen one harm a coral or a fish I did have one rip the arms off a starfish while trying to take food from it. My belief is that most people don't feed them enough or at all and that's why it happens. I also find that people see a crab chasing a fish away and automatically think it's trying to catch the fish when all they are really doing is chasing them away. I'm sure there are some rogue emeralds but I'm confident that if kept well fed most will never have an issue.

Maybe it's tank size is part of the problem?

[Dkuhlmann]

Welcome back! That was a short nap! Yea mine is definitely the HULK already lol I'm going on an emerald crab rampage and warning people not to get them lol or change their locations lol

Yes it was and unfortunately that is how each and every day goes.

Edit to add: I tell everyone I come across about them when I learn they have them. Most want to argue that they are model citizens and are simply picking off of the rocks, sand and come running out to catch some passing fish food.

[Dkuhlmann]

I keep 8 of them and have had them for a couple of years and have never seen one harm a coral or a fish I did have one rip the arms off a starfish while trying to take food from it. My belief is that most people don't feed them enough or at all and that's why it happens. I also find that people see a crab chasing a fish away and automatically think it's trying to catch the fish when all they are really doing is chasing them away. I'm sure there are some rogue emeralds but I'm confident that if kept well fed most will never have an issue.

Maybe it's tank size is part of the problem?

You're absolutely correct they do this because they are hungry. But you also have to have a good balance of food without over feeding due to increasing nitrates. Many people actually IMO starve their fish just for the sake of low parameters so they can grow many SPS corals. However they will even admit that with some nitrates and phosphates their SPS corals look better. It's all about what do you want from your tank, what is your vision of what it should look like.

When the emerald gets to their large size most will turn Hulk without algae to graze on all day!

[texdoc77]

I had to get rid of my emerald crab when he began to eat my zoas. He was definitely not "cleaning the rock" but pulling the zoas apart piece by piece. I have a buddy with a 55gal and gave it to him since he has no coral. The wife was none too pleased because he was fun to watch and a really pretty green. I have not had any trouble with the LFS taking stock back that I did not want. I don't ever ask for store credit, but many are very willing to give it.

[tennesseebob]

I dont think my problem was tank size 150g, and my crab wasnt too big i dont think, body the size of a quarter, but my diatom bloom is pretty much gone except for glass, but i overfeed my tank, hardly any stock and i dont split my food cubes up since im lazy so always a whole cube, so i dont think he was starving, but it was a new frag...i just think one day he wandered into the buffet and went nuts.

[tennesseebob]

And now the 6 legged turd is eating all my chase to, well...exaggerating, do any of you think he can likely eat it faster than it grows?