i have a monster in my tank

yeloowtang · 05/31/2010, 07:05 AM

well i built a trap with a clear piece of 1.25" tubing blocked one end and did that thing with a plastic bottle on the other end.
i drilled a few holes on the side witch i now think is not a good idea because the smell of the shrimp piece attracks everything in the tank !!! but some crabs tried entering the trap side !!!

well the plan was to catch the snaping creatures to ID it and i know i have a small black rock crab i would like to catch aswell..

lights go out and i'm watching my trap then i see it being moved up and down left and right under the moon lights !!!
all of a sudden i see these huge legs

at first glance i'm saying it's the clear tibing magnifying the image,,,,$h-t it moves arround and i see it..

this thing is huge it's got hair all over looks like a freaking tarantula and the worst is NO WAY is my trap big enough it's at least 2" if not 3" in diameter scary looking as hell ... the first time it showed up i moved the trap i had linked to a fishing line but it slowly moved back under the rock/cave.
second time i took my long plastic pincher with hopes to snag it,he moved to the side never to far from the rocks i think he saw them coming because he slowly started his way back i tried to hurry and block his passage,when i realized it won't work i took a chance on snagging him !!! he's faster than i tought

the third time didn't work either..it's now 1 am so i call it quits..

next plan is maybe the glass trick i will have to go and buy a new one because the ones at home all went in the dishwasher unless glass well rinsed is safe ???
and i was thinking using my net it's faily big so maybe if i pinch a piece of shrimp inside and leave it near his cave he will move into it along with others and i can then just lift it /remove the good guys and put him in a bucket !!
one thing is certain i want this thing out he can't be good as i think he was trying to catch hermits i do seem to have less.

thanks for looking and please submit anny help/info or trick you can think of,i will post a picture once i get him and i will get him it may take a while but i will...

steff

tozzi · 05/31/2010, 07:10 AM

Wow 2-3" in dia? How long was it then?

yeloowtang · 05/31/2010, 07:25 AM

i'm prety sure it's round or oval shaped at this point but it's
sneaky.
i'm still amazed about the fact this thing has been in my tank survived the cycle and 7-8 weeks and this is the first i've seen of him

and i spend lots of time watching my tank day and night..

i honestly didn't fall asleep for a good hour just thinking of how i will catch this thing...

dixiedog · 05/31/2010, 07:30 AM

LOL sounds like one BIG gorilla crab!

BrokeColoReefer · 05/31/2010, 07:31 AM

It might be best to find out the rock he is hiding in and remove the rock and put the rock in a bucket until he surrenders.

yeloowtang · 05/31/2010, 07:53 AM

hehe BIG is the word !!!
i wish i could just remove the rock but i have over 90 lbs of live rock
and he stays at the bottom centre (i think) i would have to take the whole rockwork appart to get there

her's what the rocks look like
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1835099

i will post new picture soon and updates on my system but in the bottom post you can see my aquascaping..

dixiedog · 05/31/2010, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yeloowtang

hehe BIG is the word !!!
i wish i could just remove the rock but i have over 90 lbs of live rock
and he stays at the bottom centre (i think) i would have to take the whole rockwork appart to get there

her's what the rocks look like
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1835099

i will post new picture soon and updates on my system but in the bottom post you can see my aquascaping..

Ooh, very nice scape.

expyman · 05/31/2010, 08:13 AM

Sounds like a giant teddy bear crab.

BrokeColoReefer · 05/31/2010, 08:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by yeloowtang

hehe BIG is the word !!!
i wish i could just remove the rock but i have over 90 lbs of live rock
and he stays at the bottom centre (i think) i would have to take the whole rockwork appart to get there

her's what the rocks look like
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1835099

i will post new picture soon and updates on my system but in the bottom post you can see my aquascaping..

the rock work is beautiful, but it might be thats the only way to get that dude out of there. You built it, you can always re build it and there is a chance it might come out better the second time! I know its not easy, i have broke down my fair share of reefs to get a fish or pest out i couldnt trap.. but this is early in the game and your plans are on hold till you get that guy out of there....

thebkramer · 05/31/2010, 10:14 AM

If it is a gorilla crab...he is going to make soooo many burrows that your rock work is going to end up tumbling down (unless its really secure) They are horrible little buggers! I use to have a huge one myself

I ended up having to lure him out with some silversides and then used tupperware lids to block off his rocks. I was not able to get a good hold on him with anything so he met his untimely death with a pair of grilling tongs! So sorry...lol But I had no choice, he was destroying everything!
Good Luck to ya!

yeloowtang · 05/31/2010, 11:33 AM

thanks for the replies !!! and comments
i have the work cut out for me ,and to think i was worried about the snap
i hear once i a while..

i forsee long nights ahead of me

here craby craby
going to try not hurting it if possible
i will pretend it's an overcast day and have lights out earlier this evening

mthomp · 05/31/2010, 11:35 AM

heh rather then not worry about hurting the crab, id make it a meal for my tank, since that is what it seems to be making out of yours.

Agu · 05/31/2010, 01:17 PM

I'm not in favor of tearing apart the rockwork. Odds are it'll bail out when you remove the piece of rock and just hide somewhere else.

I've had success using flared flower vases or old mayo jars as a trap. Rubber band some tasty food to a piece of rubble, put it in the bottom of the container, and lean it up against the rockwork. The crab (and most of your other inhabitants) goes after the food, slides in, and can't climb back out.

dread240 · 05/31/2010, 01:55 PM

I'm subscribing because I want to see this monster

DaytonaJoe · 05/31/2010, 02:27 PM

Could it be a teddy bear crab? I'll never forget the first thread in which someone described one of these. Giant hairy thing resembling a baby chicken in color. They aren't always yellow though. Is this what you saw?

yeloowtang · 05/31/2010, 02:58 PM

ahhhh man that just gave me goosbumps

yep it looks like that except big and more of a beige color almost
the same color as the rock and sand bed...at night it moves super slow
as it's creeping up !!! but i was fooled when i tried to grab it it can move fast..

can't wait to get home and try catching it again i will definatly post pics of it just not in my hands hehehe

dread240 · 05/31/2010, 03:05 PM

I did wake up to find this in my tank one night... still not 100% sure what it was

jchase1970 · 05/31/2010, 03:20 PM

dread, in my tank I would just call it fish food.

aerie2008 · 05/31/2010, 06:47 PM

I´m subscribing as well since I am curious :-)

turbo21 · 05/31/2010, 07:01 PM

subscribed
i wanna see what ya pull out

legaultrm · 06/01/2010, 11:02 AM

I'm curious to see this thing as well.

cmacmike · 06/01/2010, 12:58 PM

Where is your live rock from? Sounds like you know what you have... Teddy Bear crab? I'm subscribing as well just to see this thing!

Reefer577 · 06/01/2010, 01:03 PM

I had a teddy bear crab in a tank once. They look freaky but mine never bothered anything, he would just come out and eat algae and stuff.

Perched Urchin · 06/01/2010, 01:22 PM

Now I have to see Winnie-the-Crab. Get him!

Subscribed.

lilalove · 06/01/2010, 01:35 PM

UGHHH I feel your pain. I had a huge one too, hairy legs, grayish beige in color. However...it made meals out of my zoas, and even a small clam I had before I finally caught it. The only thing I ever caught in those mayo jars were hermits. One night I happened to switch on the moonlights and caught it off guard. I grabbed a pair of grilling tongs and then smashed it with a hammer. Never felt so good in my life!! Is that mean?

05/31/2010, 07:05 AM	#1
yeloowtang Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: gatineau,quebec,Canada Posts: 301	i have a monster in my tank well i built a trap with a clear piece of 1.25" tubing blocked one end and did that thing with a plastic bottle on the other end. i drilled a few holes on the side witch i now think is not a good idea because the smell of the shrimp piece attracks everything in the tank !!! but some crabs tried entering the trap side !!! well the plan was to catch the snaping creatures to ID it and i know i have a small black rock crab i would like to catch aswell.. lights go out and i'm watching my trap then i see it being moved up and down left and right under the moon lights !!! all of a sudden i see these huge legs at first glance i'm saying it's the clear tibing magnifying the image,,,,$h-t it moves arround and i see it.. this thing is huge it's got hair all over looks like a freaking tarantula and the worst is NO WAY is my trap big enough it's at least 2" if not 3" in diameter scary looking as hell ... the first time it showed up i moved the trap i had linked to a fishing line but it slowly moved back under the rock/cave. second time i took my long plastic pincher with hopes to snag it,he moved to the side never to far from the rocks i think he saw them coming because he slowly started his way back i tried to hurry and block his passage,when i realized it won't work i took a chance on snagging him !!! he's faster than i tought the third time didn't work either..it's now 1 am so i call it quits.. next plan is maybe the glass trick i will have to go and buy a new one because the ones at home all went in the dishwasher unless glass well rinsed is safe ??? and i was thinking using my net it's faily big so maybe if i pinch a piece of shrimp inside and leave it near his cave he will move into it along with others and i can then just lift it /remove the good guys and put him in a bucket !! one thing is certain i want this thing out he can't be good as i think he was trying to catch hermits i do seem to have less. thanks for looking and please submit anny help/info or trick you can think of,i will post a picture once i get him and i will get him it may take a while but i will... steff

05/31/2010, 07:10 AM	#2
tozzi Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: JERSEY Posts: 825	Wow 2-3" in dia? How long was it then? __________________ Your dealing with an expert in guerrilla warfare a man whos the best with guns knives his bare hands A man whos been trained to ignore pain ignore weather eat things that would make a billy goat puke Current Tank Info: 215 sps

05/31/2010, 10:14 AM	#10
thebkramer Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Clifton Park, NY Posts: 3,198	If it is a gorilla crab...he is going to make soooo many burrows that your rock work is going to end up tumbling down (unless its really secure) They are horrible little buggers! I use to have a huge one myself I ended up having to lure him out with some silversides and then used tupperware lids to block off his rocks. I was not able to get a good hold on him with anything so he met his untimely death with a pair of grilling tongs! So sorry...lol But I had no choice, he was destroying everything! Good Luck to ya! __________________ Rhonda There is NO such things as Dumb Questions!! There are However.. Dumb Answers!!! ;) ____________ Current Tank Info: 55g reef....Current Orbit SunPaq Lights, HOB Eshopps, HOB AquaClear 110, 2-1400 Koralia Powerheads & 1 Nano Koralia, 40+ lbs LR, 2" LS

05/31/2010, 01:17 PM	#13
Agu Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Sarasota, Florida Posts: 30,279	I'm not in favor of tearing apart the rockwork. Odds are it'll bail out when you remove the piece of rock and just hide somewhere else. I've had success using flared flower vases or old mayo jars as a trap. Rubber band some tasty food to a piece of rubble, put it in the bottom of the container, and lean it up against the rockwork. The crab (and most of your other inhabitants) goes after the food, slides in, and can't climb back out. __________________ Less technology , more biology . Current Tank Info: 30 gallon half cube and 5.5, both reef tanks

05/31/2010, 03:20 PM	#18
jchase1970 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Newburgh, Indiana Posts: 409	dread, in my tank I would just call it fish food. __________________ Tri-State Reef Club Serving the Indiana,Kentucky,Illinois Tri state area.

05/31/2010, 07:25 AM	#3
yeloowtang Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: gatineau,quebec,Canada Posts: 301	i'm prety sure it's round or oval shaped at this point but it's sneaky. i'm still amazed about the fact this thing has been in my tank survived the cycle and 7-8 weeks and this is the first i've seen of him and i spend lots of time watching my tank day and night.. i honestly didn't fall asleep for a good hour just thinking of how i will catch this thing...

05/31/2010, 07:30 AM	#4
dixiedog Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Gainesville, Florida Posts: 1,626	LOL sounds like one BIG gorilla crab!

05/31/2010, 07:31 AM	#5
BrokeColoReefer Hermit Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Mountains of Boulder County. Posts: 2,289	It might be best to find out the rock he is hiding in and remove the rock and put the rock in a bucket until he surrenders.

05/31/2010, 07:53 AM	#6
yeloowtang Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: gatineau,quebec,Canada Posts: 301	hehe BIG is the word !!! i wish i could just remove the rock but i have over 90 lbs of live rock and he stays at the bottom centre (i think) i would have to take the whole rockwork appart to get there her's what the rocks look like http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1835099 i will post new picture soon and updates on my system but in the bottom post you can see my aquascaping..

05/31/2010, 08:13 AM	#8
expyman Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: niagara falls Posts: 69	Sounds like a giant teddy bear crab.

05/31/2010, 11:33 AM	#11
yeloowtang Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: gatineau,quebec,Canada Posts: 301	thanks for the replies !!! and comments i have the work cut out for me ,and to think i was worried about the snap i hear once i a while.. i forsee long nights ahead of me here craby craby going to try not hurting it if possible i will pretend it's an overcast day and have lights out earlier this evening

05/31/2010, 11:35 AM	#12
mthomp Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 766	heh rather then not worry about hurting the crab, id make it a meal for my tank, since that is what it seems to be making out of yours.

05/31/2010, 01:55 PM	#14
dread240 Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Essex, MD Posts: 979	I'm subscribing because I want to see this monster

05/31/2010, 02:58 PM	#16
yeloowtang Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: gatineau,quebec,Canada Posts: 301	ahhhh man that just gave me goosbumps yep it looks like that except big and more of a beige color almost the same color as the rock and sand bed...at night it moves super slow as it's creeping up !!! but i was fooled when i tried to grab it it can move fast.. can't wait to get home and try catching it again i will definatly post pics of it just not in my hands hehehe

05/31/2010, 03:05 PM	#17
dread240 Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Essex, MD Posts: 979	I did wake up to find this in my tank one night... still not 100% sure what it was

05/31/2010, 06:47 PM	#19
aerie2008 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Germany Posts: 141	I´m subscribing as well since I am curious :-) __________________ 14 g tank since Sept2009. Koralia Nano + AquaClear 50. Solaris Marine 18 W (10.000 K). Mushrooms, Palys, Xenia, and Actinia equina. Avatar by KURT ZIMMERMANN

05/31/2010, 07:01 PM	#20
turbo21 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: pittsburgh Posts: 359	subscribed i wanna see what ya pull out

06/01/2010, 11:02 AM	#21
legaultrm Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 33	I'm curious to see this thing as well.

06/01/2010, 12:58 PM	#22
cmacmike Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: California, MD Posts: 57	Where is your live rock from? Sounds like you know what you have... Teddy Bear crab? I'm subscribing as well just to see this thing!

06/01/2010, 01:03 PM	#23
Reefer577 Moved On Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Under the Sea Posts: 305	I had a teddy bear crab in a tank once. They look freaky but mine never bothered anything, he would just come out and eat algae and stuff.

06/01/2010, 01:22 PM	#24
Perched Urchin Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Plain City, Ohio Posts: 390	Now I have to see Winnie-the-Crab. Get him! Subscribed. __________________ Rob IM Nuvo 10 with Nanobox led 40G IM Nuvo Black build in process!

06/01/2010, 01:35 PM	#25
lilalove Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 462	UGHHH I feel your pain. I had a huge one too, hairy legs, grayish beige in color. However...it made meals out of my zoas, and even a small clam I had before I finally caught it. The only thing I ever caught in those mayo jars were hermits. One night I happened to switch on the moonlights and caught it off guard. I grabbed a pair of grilling tongs and then smashed it with a hammer. Never felt so good in my life!! Is that mean? __________________ Karina For mad scientists who keep brains in jars, here's a tip: why not add a slice of lemon to each jar, for freshness? - Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey Current Tank Info: 180 gallon reef, 55 gallon sump and refugium

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