strange story.

ricksconnected · 06/09/2009, 09:31 PM

ok when i got this tank it already had fish and a couple crabs.
my g.friend managed to name the crabs by something about them. ok this story is about big house, a hermit crab. he got his name cause a guy at the LFS gave us a few shells so our crabs could change. well this highly energetic crab took up a shell that was much to big for itself and thus we have "big house".
ok its been 5-6 weeks since i changed the sand in my tank. after the change oh BH disappeared within 2 weeks. we searched and we searched, no BH. ok a couple weeks go by and we had given up hope. last night i was looking deep within one of my tanks many caves, theres BH. yeah! hes stuck up in the live rock. so i got something and popped him lose after about 10 minutes of trying. he falls down in the hole deeper. now hes in where on of my humbug damsels live, and on his back. lol poor guy. so finally he turns over and up the hole he comes, but stops half way. so i leave him. came home from work and hes fallen back down in. i put a mirror behind the tank to get a better look. the shell is empty. dang damsel got him. upon closer inspection of my rock, i see ole BH w/o shell hidden in between rocks. i took a big shell and scooped him up to safety. put him in a little glass with some shells, and left the galss in the tank. he took up a shell quickly. ok the question is, is it normal for a crab to abandon his shell completely, then go search for safety or to look for another shell? i mean he seems ok at this point but ive never heard or seen such a thing. has this ever happened to anybody elses crabs?

805reef · 06/09/2009, 09:55 PM

i dont have any answers for you but that was a great story! any pics of BIG HOUSE?

HowardJ · 06/09/2009, 10:01 PM

I saw my blue-leg do that one time, also
maybe it's a blue-legged thing?

VacavilleFC3S · 06/09/2009, 10:09 PM

he might have ditched his shell because he was stuck and unable to pull himself back through the hole carrying it, you said it's larger than needed maybe he realized that

ricksconnected · 06/09/2009, 10:09 PM

805

no, no pics yet. theres big house and big claw. house is all about checking out the snails. never any bother of them though. i think he like the fact they climb glass. caught him trying to climb the silicone on my tank. he did make it 1/2 way once, but fell.
big claw is the cardio crab. hes always on the move and very fast for a crab. if its in his path he runs it slap over. crabs, snails, rocks, whatever. we set there one night and watched him do 7 laps around the 30gal aquarium. back to back laps. took him all of like 8minutes.

another question. we got 3 emerald crabs. 2 green and one red.
(red emerald crab? ) well the red and one green had fuzzy legs, one green didnt. now all 3 have fuzzy legs. is that normal?

ricksconnected · 06/09/2009, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by VacavilleFC3S
he might have ditched his shell because he was stuck and unable to pull himself back through the hole carrying it, you said it's larger than needed maybe he realized that

no, remember, i picked him free of the stuck situation. wonder if the humbug messed with him to much and he couldnt get away so he ditched the shell and headed for high ground?

dpbement · 06/09/2009, 11:01 PM

That's really funny. Those hermit crabs are so greedy and always seem to get into a shell that they can't handle. I had a large snail die and a hermit got in his shell and couldn't budge the thing. But he sure gave it hell trying.

ricksconnected · 06/09/2009, 11:15 PM

yes we like our hermits. thats what happened to big house. his shell was way to big. he gave it his all too. for about a week he wouldnt give it up. so back to the LFS for more shells. he finally gave up the two story brick for a ranch. lol
claw has two that he switchs with. one is bigger. he totes the big one for a few days and then gets the smaller of the two and hauls azz. we seriously enjoy our crabs more so than our fish.
they are way more interesting and always seem to walk the fine line of getting into trouble. its funny to watch claw ride on house. i think it pizzes house off. my emeralds couldnt care less about the others, they are more worried about the task at hand. the red emerald is always trying his luck to catch hold of one of the 2 humbug damsels, better known as the twins. he clips a fin every now and again, but soon lives to regret it. those humbugs can get mean if they need to. they gang up too. its funny. they dont like my blue damsel either. theres several chases a days.

Whys · 06/10/2009, 06:52 AM

I love crabs and hermits. Very enjoyable little trouble makers. Emeralds are typically reef safe, but they can still be surprisingly aggressive. I have a dinner plate sized brittlestar that could eat my emerald, yet the emerald has no fear of aggravating it by picking food right out of its arms. It does pizz it off, it does have a memory, and has literally lunged at him twice nearly ending their feud. It can be a lot of fun to watch, but recently I noticed my star was missing the last inch from one of its arms. Now I try to feed them separately, but I wouldn't trade any of my crabs.

ricksconnected · 06/10/2009, 05:17 PM

whys

i agree. my crabs seem to have a personality more so than any of my fish. i wouldnt trade my crabs for nothing.
im begining to wonder whats the best food to feed them?
i just want to make sure their nutrition is up to par. i would like to have a crab and rock only tank. i bet i would spend most of my time there with them.

Whys · 06/10/2009, 10:08 PM

In that kind of tank, you could probably keep a purple reef lobster.

Because of my systems currently low bioload, it does not grow enough algae to feed my emerald crab. So I occasionally put a bit of dried nori in there. He gets visibly excited when I add it to the tank. So much so that he sometimes ends up falling on his back, but continues to skitter toward the nori while upside down.

He can be a real goof. When bored, he tries to surf the stronger currents in the tank, often doing cartwheels along the front glass.

If you really want to go with a crabs only tank, there are a lot of really fantastic looking nuisance crabs that get posted by hobbyists here when they remove an unwanted hitchhiker. I just saw someone post an amazing bright orange and white hitchhiker a few days ago. It was a beautiful crab and a real shame, because they had no place for it and just needed to kill it. Look for these and members might send them to you to keep.

Just one word of warning. A crabs only tank could become a real arena. Not all will survive.

PRDubois · 06/10/2009, 11:47 PM

Look at it this way! If your car broke down in the worst part of town and you didnt have a phone.
Would you stay with the car or leave it and get the heck out of there?

ricksconnected · 06/11/2009, 12:19 AM

PR

good point.

whys.

now thats funny right there. cardio crab use to get in the front of the tank, push his shell upon the glass above his body and run from side to side like that. crabs are funny creatures. i feel they are often over looked by most folks in the hobby as anything other than a "cleanup crew".
ok so where can i get that food you mentioned? is it a mail order type or should the LFS have it?
the g.friend wants a purple reef lobster so bad. i wonder if they are safe with hermits and other crabs?

Whys · 06/11/2009, 12:21 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by PRDubois
Look at it this way! If your car broke down in the worst part of town and you didnt have a phone.
Would you stay with the car or leave it and get the heck out of there?

Not enough information. Why was I driving thru the worst part of town?

PRDubois · 06/11/2009, 12:23 AM

To buy your crack and you forgot your gun!

Whys · 06/11/2009, 12:26 AM

Ocean Nutrition. I get mine from my LFS. It's a common dry good. Comes in green, red, and brown. I feed my emerald the green.

Whys · 06/11/2009, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by PRDubois
To buy your crack and you forgot your gun!

So Big House was cracked out when he jumped from his 2 story shell? Sounds right to me.

PRDubois · 06/11/2009, 12:33 AM

Running away from the gang (dang damsel)!

Whys · 06/11/2009, 12:40 AM

Headline: Revealed, Hermit Hooked on Crack, Loses Home.

ricksconnected · 06/11/2009, 04:59 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Whys
Headline: Revealed, Hermit Hooked on Crack, Loses Home.

lol yeah and "found stuck between a rock and a hard place".

Whys · 06/11/2009, 05:04 AM

Following Headline: Hermit Hits Bottom, Then Claws His Way Up.

PRDubois · 06/11/2009, 05:06 AM

I think we have sunk to a new low!!

Well maybe we have been lower!

ricksconnected · 06/11/2009, 05:15 AM

hey i have friends in low places.
this post has had a lot of views. i wonder what the others are thinking.

PRDubois · 06/11/2009, 05:20 AM

Lurkers scare me!

ricksconnected · 06/11/2009, 05:25 AM

i'll tell ya another funny story about crabs.

we were down in jekyll island, my g.friend and i.
we were at a bait/tackle store looking for shark bait.
my girlfriend saw these little but brightly colored cages.
(shes not a fisherman ok) so she asked what they were for and how they were used. as i was telling her the shop was filling up with people as we were at first the only ones in there. so w/o a second thought and a little louder than expected she shouts out
" HEY I CAN CATCH CRABS ". i said "you sure can hon, abstainence is the best policy". her jaw dropped, and everybody in the place spun around and just looked. the guy behind the counter was on the floor rolling. we were talking to him before and he knew she wasnt a fisherman.

06/09/2009, 09:31 PM	#1
ricksconnected Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: ga Posts: 201	strange story. ok when i got this tank it already had fish and a couple crabs. my g.friend managed to name the crabs by something about them. ok this story is about big house, a hermit crab. he got his name cause a guy at the LFS gave us a few shells so our crabs could change. well this highly energetic crab took up a shell that was much to big for itself and thus we have "big house". ok its been 5-6 weeks since i changed the sand in my tank. after the change oh BH disappeared within 2 weeks. we searched and we searched, no BH. ok a couple weeks go by and we had given up hope. last night i was looking deep within one of my tanks many caves, theres BH. yeah! hes stuck up in the live rock. so i got something and popped him lose after about 10 minutes of trying. he falls down in the hole deeper. now hes in where on of my humbug damsels live, and on his back. lol poor guy. so finally he turns over and up the hole he comes, but stops half way. so i leave him. came home from work and hes fallen back down in. i put a mirror behind the tank to get a better look. the shell is empty. dang damsel got him. upon closer inspection of my rock, i see ole BH w/o shell hidden in between rocks. i took a big shell and scooped him up to safety. put him in a little glass with some shells, and left the galss in the tank. he took up a shell quickly. ok the question is, is it normal for a crab to abandon his shell completely, then go search for safety or to look for another shell? i mean he seems ok at this point but ive never heard or seen such a thing. has this ever happened to anybody elses crabs?

06/09/2009, 09:55 PM	#2
805reef Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Oxnard, CA Posts: 1,588	i dont have any answers for you but that was a great story! any pics of BIG HOUSE? __________________ Vince 300 gallon peninsula, return:RD3 Speedy 230, Turbo's Rev4 L2 Algae Turf Scrubber, (2) Gyre 150s, Advanced Acrylic sump, (4) Ocean Revive T247s, Apex (classic w/ black sticker;):D)

06/10/2009, 11:47 PM	#12
PRDubois Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Chester, VA Posts: 3,626	Look at it this way! If your car broke down in the worst part of town and you didnt have a phone. Would you stay with the car or leave it and get the heck out of there? __________________ http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2534403 Current Tank Info: 225 gal Reef, 60 gal reef & 40b frag tank

06/11/2009, 12:23 AM	#15
PRDubois Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Chester, VA Posts: 3,626	To buy your crack and you forgot your gun! __________________ http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2534403 Current Tank Info: 225 gal Reef, 60 gal reef & 40b frag tank Last edited by PRDubois; 06/11/2009 at 12:29 AM.

06/11/2009, 12:33 AM	#18
PRDubois Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Chester, VA Posts: 3,626	Running away from the gang (dang damsel)! __________________ http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2534403 Current Tank Info: 225 gal Reef, 60 gal reef & 40b frag tank

06/09/2009, 10:01 PM	#3
HowardJ Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Indiana 47918 Posts: 91	I saw my blue-leg do that one time, also maybe it's a blue-legged thing?

06/09/2009, 10:09 PM	#4
VacavilleFC3S Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Vacaville California Posts: 2,613	he might have ditched his shell because he was stuck and unable to pull himself back through the hole carrying it, you said it's larger than needed maybe he realized that

06/09/2009, 11:01 PM	#7
dpbement Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 57	That's really funny. Those hermit crabs are so greedy and always seem to get into a shell that they can't handle. I had a large snail die and a hermit got in his shell and couldn't budge the thing. But he sure gave it hell trying.

06/09/2009, 11:15 PM	#8
ricksconnected Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: ga Posts: 201	yes we like our hermits. thats what happened to big house. his shell was way to big. he gave it his all too. for about a week he wouldnt give it up. so back to the LFS for more shells. he finally gave up the two story brick for a ranch. lol claw has two that he switchs with. one is bigger. he totes the big one for a few days and then gets the smaller of the two and hauls azz. we seriously enjoy our crabs more so than our fish. they are way more interesting and always seem to walk the fine line of getting into trouble. its funny to watch claw ride on house. i think it pizzes house off. my emeralds couldnt care less about the others, they are more worried about the task at hand. the red emerald is always trying his luck to catch hold of one of the 2 humbug damsels, better known as the twins. he clips a fin every now and again, but soon lives to regret it. those humbugs can get mean if they need to. they gang up too. its funny. they dont like my blue damsel either. theres several chases a days.

06/10/2009, 06:52 AM	#9
Whys Moved On Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 3,263	I love crabs and hermits. Very enjoyable little trouble makers. Emeralds are typically reef safe, but they can still be surprisingly aggressive. I have a dinner plate sized brittlestar that could eat my emerald, yet the emerald has no fear of aggravating it by picking food right out of its arms. It does pizz it off, it does have a memory, and has literally lunged at him twice nearly ending their feud. It can be a lot of fun to watch, but recently I noticed my star was missing the last inch from one of its arms. Now I try to feed them separately, but I wouldn't trade any of my crabs.

06/10/2009, 05:17 PM	#10
ricksconnected Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: ga Posts: 201	whys i agree. my crabs seem to have a personality more so than any of my fish. i wouldnt trade my crabs for nothing. im begining to wonder whats the best food to feed them? i just want to make sure their nutrition is up to par. i would like to have a crab and rock only tank. i bet i would spend most of my time there with them.

06/10/2009, 10:08 PM	#11
Whys Moved On Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 3,263	In that kind of tank, you could probably keep a purple reef lobster. Because of my systems currently low bioload, it does not grow enough algae to feed my emerald crab. So I occasionally put a bit of dried nori in there. He gets visibly excited when I add it to the tank. So much so that he sometimes ends up falling on his back, but continues to skitter toward the nori while upside down. He can be a real goof. When bored, he tries to surf the stronger currents in the tank, often doing cartwheels along the front glass. If you really want to go with a crabs only tank, there are a lot of really fantastic looking nuisance crabs that get posted by hobbyists here when they remove an unwanted hitchhiker. I just saw someone post an amazing bright orange and white hitchhiker a few days ago. It was a beautiful crab and a real shame, because they had no place for it and just needed to kill it. Look for these and members might send them to you to keep. Just one word of warning. A crabs only tank could become a real arena. Not all will survive.

06/11/2009, 12:19 AM	#13
ricksconnected Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: ga Posts: 201	PR good point. whys. now thats funny right there. cardio crab use to get in the front of the tank, push his shell upon the glass above his body and run from side to side like that. crabs are funny creatures. i feel they are often over looked by most folks in the hobby as anything other than a "cleanup crew". ok so where can i get that food you mentioned? is it a mail order type or should the LFS have it? the g.friend wants a purple reef lobster so bad. i wonder if they are safe with hermits and other crabs?

06/11/2009, 12:26 AM	#16
Whys Moved On Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 3,263	Ocean Nutrition. I get mine from my LFS. It's a common dry good. Comes in green, red, and brown. I feed my emerald the green.

06/11/2009, 12:40 AM	#19
Whys Moved On Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 3,263	Headline: Revealed, Hermit Hooked on Crack, Loses Home.

06/11/2009, 05:04 AM	#21
Whys Moved On Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 3,263	Following Headline: Hermit Hits Bottom, Then Claws His Way Up. Last edited by Whys; 06/11/2009 at 05:12 AM.

06/11/2009, 05:06 AM	#22
PRDubois Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Chester, VA Posts: 3,626	I think we have sunk to a new low!! Well maybe we have been lower! __________________ http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2534403 Current Tank Info: 225 gal Reef, 60 gal reef & 40b frag tank

06/11/2009, 05:15 AM	#23
ricksconnected Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: ga Posts: 201	hey i have friends in low places. this post has had a lot of views. i wonder what the others are thinking.

06/11/2009, 05:20 AM	#24
PRDubois Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Chester, VA Posts: 3,626	Lurkers scare me! __________________ http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2534403 Current Tank Info: 225 gal Reef, 60 gal reef & 40b frag tank

06/11/2009, 05:25 AM	#25
ricksconnected Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: ga Posts: 201	i'll tell ya another funny story about crabs. we were down in jekyll island, my g.friend and i. we were at a bait/tackle store looking for shark bait. my girlfriend saw these little but brightly colored cages. (shes not a fisherman ok) so she asked what they were for and how they were used. as i was telling her the shop was filling up with people as we were at first the only ones in there. so w/o a second thought and a little louder than expected she shouts out " HEY I CAN CATCH CRABS ". i said "you sure can hon, abstainence is the best policy". her jaw dropped, and everybody in the place spun around and just looked. the guy behind the counter was on the floor rolling. we were talking to him before and he knew she wasnt a fisherman.