Thread: "Sponge" Crab
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Unread 01/08/2018, 12:10 PM   #1
mhaze
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Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 47
"Sponge" Crab

I have been happily picking crabs off of my TBS live rock since I got it. Mostly I get stone crabs, which I put in the fuge or a separate tank. I have one Pilumnus sayi (I think!) in my fuge. I rather like crabs, and I do not have any serious bad experiences with them. It's fun to watch them grow.

Last night I pulled a tiny (less than 1 cm carapace) crab from my tank. I was ready to relocate it when I learned she is in a family way (she is holding a spongy gray mass of eggs under her that is almost as large as she is).

This little lady is white/gray/tan mottled with some hair (not as furry as a gorilla crab, but not smooth either). Her claws are even in size (unlike the stone crabs) and smaller - they lack the black tips of stone or gorilla crabs. Otherwise, she looks like a lot like a stone or gorilla crab (same body type). What crab could procreate at that tiny size?

I did not get a picture. I wound up putting her back in the tank because arthropod eggs = food for corals. I know where she hangs out in case I need to remove her (in the corner where the tang goes to poop).

I have some tiny crabs that live in my tubipora and keep it clean. They have never come out, but this could be one of them.

Does anyone have a similar experience or can offer an ID based on description? What are everyone's opinions on tiny crabs?

Thank you!


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