Crusty Critter - ID Please

[Tobman]

I have a critter or two that came with my sand or rock. He looks like a small crustacean, but instead of a shell, he's got peices of sand on his back. His appendages are translucent and he is smaller than a dime. What is it?

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e56/stormpeakskiing/CrustyDude.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e56/stormpeakskiing/Crusty2.jpg

[JownsenJesus]

Kind of looks like a decorator crab, pics of peices of substrate and rocks and sticks them on his shell. Just a guess though, probably way off.

[Tobman]

anyone?

[Mr.First]

decorator crab

[Tobman]

Must be a decorator crab, doesn't seem to be any other choice. Cool critter.

[dcombs44]

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=627

[Tobman]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8630143#post8630143 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dcombs44
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=627

Interesting link, however, as you can see from my pics, mine looks nothing like the one Live Aquaria shows.

[caynus]

From the position and presence of the thin translucent appendages he looks alot like a small soldier crab. They are more ball shaped instead of a flat and ovoid like your sterotypical crab. I have seen them attach pieces of substrate to themselves, but i have never seen them in the hobby.
From what i have seen they normally occur on the sand flats over here in the 100's of thousands. The whole ground becomes a moving crab carpet. They are also generally sand sifters, filtering the sand through their modified mouth parts.

Heres a link to show you what a common Pacific solder crab looks like.

http://www.istockphoto.com/file_closeup/life/nature/animals/217607_soldier_crab.php?id=217607

Thats only what it looks like though from the pictures which are hard to make out. My other guess would be a decorator crab though, they are common in the hobby and always attachs pieces of substrate and stuff to them.

Goodluck with the id. Hope this helped :P

Caynus

[650-IS350]

I had 2 Decorators in my tank... once bigger has gone after Fish and seahare..