Sure death?

mtaswt · 11/30/2010, 08:21 AM

I am looking at getting, or I should say my wife and boy are wanting some crabs. Pom pom and emerald to be exact, but I am worried that my two new red scooter blennies will fall victim to them. Is this something I should be worried about? I'm especially worried about when they are sleeping?

btw--I saw them doing a really cool thing last night when the moonlights came on......they would lock themselves fin to fin and swim together to the top and split up and RACE back down, and then would repeat the act. Anyone else see theirs do this?

Thanks

MandM · 11/30/2010, 11:34 AM

Nothing with claws can be trusted completely. I don't care for crabs in my tank myself so I vote no. It sounds like the scooters are mating, that's cool! They are dragonets, not really a blenny. They like to eat tiny copepods. If you are lucky, they will eat small frozen food.

Floowid · 11/30/2010, 11:45 AM

Pom pom tend to be pretty harmless, although they usually just disappear in my tank, I have never seen one make it long term in an aquarium. IMO emeralds are just trouble waiting to happen. They may be fine for a while, but the time will come when they think something you love looks like a meal to them.

Sk8r · 11/30/2010, 11:46 AM

The pompom crab is a filter feeder, and is totally safe. So are the decorator crabs, as i recall. The emerald is a little chancier, though the females are generally better-behaved. Honestly, I'd stick to the filter-feeding crabs. You have an excellent tank going, to have scooters interested in l-l-love, and chasing a misbehaving emerald is such a pita. I'd recommend him as really great in a rocky fuge, but not so much in a tank.

Jstdv8 · 11/30/2010, 02:25 PM

I had an emerald for about 8 months and never had him mess with anything.
Not everybody has the same results, but that was mine. I do feed the tank pretty heavily so that may factor in.

Mandragen · 11/30/2010, 02:29 PM

I know I have heard mixed things on emeralds but I ran into a bubble algae issues recently and was thinkin about picking some up. My question is are emeralds easy to get out of the tank if they start misbehaving?

Whisperer · 11/30/2010, 02:49 PM

Crabs are generally scavengers and do not hunt for food, hence their reclusive behavior. However, they will defend themselves when threatened. A weak or dying fish may fall prey to them but not a healthy one. Case in point, my crab traps frequently catch tilapia, baby grouper, catfish, sheepshead, etc with several blue crabs in them. No fish gets hurt even in this very confined area.

Mandragen · 11/30/2010, 03:27 PM

The reason I asked was because some emeralds I have seen of late, do not seem skittish at all.

Sk8r · 11/30/2010, 03:34 PM

Bubble, like hair, is just a phase tanks go through. Crabs are a 5 year problem. I had one. It may have eaten one bubble. For the rest, it terrorized fish.

Mandragen · 11/30/2010, 03:50 PM

lol, gotcha

IslandCrow · 11/30/2010, 04:36 PM

I wouldn't worry about Emerald crabs in the least. I think I'd be more worried about my hermit crabs than my Mithrax crabs. They can be quite territorial, and will occasionally nip at a fish that's hanging around their area too long, but as far as attacking a fish, much less doing it any harm, I'd say that would be extremely rare. Any fish that gets its butt kicked by an Emerald crab should probably be removed from the gene pool anyway.

Mandragen · 11/30/2010, 05:12 PM

I could care less about fish, it's the coral i don't want bothered

seapug · 11/30/2010, 05:51 PM

I used to keep emerald crabs but they always threw my corals all over the place so once my hawkfish dispatched with them I never replaced them. FWIW, I never once saw one eat a bubble algae. Plus, I can remove more bubble algae with my hand in 10 minutes than a crab could remove in a month.

As for the pom pom crabs, don't expect to see them often or have them live long in a tank with active fish. I've kept them in my display a few times in the past but they never lasted more than a couple months. I did put one in my fishless LPS refugium a little over a year ago and it seems very happy being in there all by itself. It's shy, but I do see it quite often and still has both anemones. One of my favorite reef inverts but it's not an algae eater, if that's what you are looking for.

IslandCrow · 11/30/2010, 10:10 PM

Quote:

I could care less about fish, it's the coral i don't want bothered

I was answering the original poster's question. . .it is his thread after all.

11/30/2010, 08:21 AM	#1
mtaswt Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 428	Sure death? I am looking at getting, or I should say my wife and boy are wanting some crabs. Pom pom and emerald to be exact, but I am worried that my two new red scooter blennies will fall victim to them. Is this something I should be worried about? I'm especially worried about when they are sleeping? btw--I saw them doing a really cool thing last night when the moonlights came on......they would lock themselves fin to fin and swim together to the top and split up and RACE back down, and then would repeat the act. Anyone else see theirs do this? Thanks __________________ Current Tank Info: 156g, 8 bulb ATI dimmable powermodule, led moonlights, PM 175 skimmer, 55g sump, Mag 18 return, 2x MP40's @ 75%, BRS dual reactor, ReefKeeper Elite, ATO, & 200 #'s of rock. 2 blood shrimp, 2 cleaner shrimp, 3 sexy shrimp, Oynx clowns (mated pair), purple & yellow tangs, red scooter blenny, breeding pair of Banggai Cardinalfish, Bartlett's Anthias, Maldives Lyretail Anthias, Labout's fairy wrasse, two spot goby, multiple corals (mostly lps), and counting......who said this hobby was cheap?

11/30/2010, 11:34 AM	#2
MandM sick yet brilliant Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Sacramento Posts: 1,497	Nothing with claws can be trusted completely. I don't care for crabs in my tank myself so I vote no. It sounds like the scooters are mating, that's cool! They are dragonets, not really a blenny. They like to eat tiny copepods. If you are lucky, they will eat small frozen food. __________________ Sheila I was emo when emo wasn't cool If your not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate. Current Tank Info: 120g, 8g

11/30/2010, 11:45 AM	#3
Floowid Registered Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Centerville, UT Posts: 712	Pom pom tend to be pretty harmless, although they usually just disappear in my tank, I have never seen one make it long term in an aquarium. IMO emeralds are just trouble waiting to happen. They may be fine for a while, but the time will come when they think something you love looks like a meal to them. __________________ 75 gallon mixed reef

11/30/2010, 11:46 AM	#4
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	The pompom crab is a filter feeder, and is totally safe. So are the decorator crabs, as i recall. The emerald is a little chancier, though the females are generally better-behaved. Honestly, I'd stick to the filter-feeding crabs. You have an excellent tank going, to have scooters interested in l-l-love, and chasing a misbehaving emerald is such a pita. I'd recommend him as really great in a rocky fuge, but not so much in a tank. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

11/30/2010, 02:29 PM	#6
Mandragen Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Lake Norman, North Carolina Posts: 700	I know I have heard mixed things on emeralds but I ran into a bubble algae issues recently and was thinkin about picking some up. My question is are emeralds easy to get out of the tank if they start misbehaving? __________________ Oliver "Live a life uncommon." Current Tank Info: Falcon

11/30/2010, 02:25 PM	#5
Jstdv8 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Wasilla, Alaska Posts: 1,420	I had an emerald for about 8 months and never had him mess with anything. Not everybody has the same results, but that was mine. I do feed the tank pretty heavily so that may factor in.

11/30/2010, 02:49 PM	#7
Whisperer Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Punta Gorda, FL Posts: 4,020	Crabs are generally scavengers and do not hunt for food, hence their reclusive behavior. However, they will defend themselves when threatened. A weak or dying fish may fall prey to them but not a healthy one. Case in point, my crab traps frequently catch tilapia, baby grouper, catfish, sheepshead, etc with several blue crabs in them. No fish gets hurt even in this very confined area. __________________ The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten. --------- No one is born with intellect and age guarantees wisdom to no one. Current Tank Info: 120G reef, 30G sump, 10G QT tank

11/30/2010, 03:27 PM	#8
Mandragen Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Lake Norman, North Carolina Posts: 700	The reason I asked was because some emeralds I have seen of late, do not seem skittish at all. __________________ Oliver "Live a life uncommon." Current Tank Info: Falcon

11/30/2010, 03:34 PM	#9
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Bubble, like hair, is just a phase tanks go through. Crabs are a 5 year problem. I had one. It may have eaten one bubble. For the rest, it terrorized fish. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

11/30/2010, 03:50 PM	#10
Mandragen Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Lake Norman, North Carolina Posts: 700	lol, gotcha __________________ Oliver "Live a life uncommon." Current Tank Info: Falcon

11/30/2010, 04:36 PM	#11
IslandCrow Reef Monkey Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Rockledge, Fl Posts: 5,759	I wouldn't worry about Emerald crabs in the least. I think I'd be more worried about my hermit crabs than my Mithrax crabs. They can be quite territorial, and will occasionally nip at a fish that's hanging around their area too long, but as far as attacking a fish, much less doing it any harm, I'd say that would be extremely rare. Any fish that gets its butt kicked by an Emerald crab should probably be removed from the gene pool anyway. __________________ All opinions in the above message should be taken with 35 ppt salt. -Mike C. Current Tank Info: I have a reef screen saver on my phone, does that count?

11/30/2010, 05:12 PM	#12
Mandragen Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Lake Norman, North Carolina Posts: 700	I could care less about fish, it's the coral i don't want bothered __________________ Oliver "Live a life uncommon." Current Tank Info: Falcon

11/30/2010, 05:51 PM	#13
seapug Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: 4980 ft. Posts: 7,954 Blog Entries: 1	I used to keep emerald crabs but they always threw my corals all over the place so once my hawkfish dispatched with them I never replaced them. FWIW, I never once saw one eat a bubble algae. Plus, I can remove more bubble algae with my hand in 10 minutes than a crab could remove in a month. As for the pom pom crabs, don't expect to see them often or have them live long in a tank with active fish. I've kept them in my display a few times in the past but they never lasted more than a couple months. I did put one in my fishless LPS refugium a little over a year ago and it seems very happy being in there all by itself. It's shy, but I do see it quite often and still has both anemones. One of my favorite reef inverts but it's not an algae eater, if that's what you are looking for. __________________ insert clever saying here. Current Tank Info: 200 gallon custom Marineland DD peninsular tank. LPS dominated mixed reef. Previous 90 gallon mixed reef TOTM April 2009.

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