hmm... orange, kinda fuzzy, and a scary lookin claw! Cant be good...

chefbenry89 · 10/02/2009, 01:44 PM

Hey guys! i have 1 small problem... but the problem is that it will GROW! my tank is 3 months old 55gal and lots of sand and rock and water flow, i get a big cleanup crew, started with about 90 hermits, and a pom-pom crab and a few other things. i noticed the hermits... 'dissapearing' and yesterday noticed my pom-pom have become a lonley-pom crab

I have found a lil orange crab ******* *******. usually seems to hang out in the same rock, on the bottom of a 2 foot tall pile of rocks. i have removed the rock into a bucket of water, he is lucky its not boiling yet!

neway. i was just wondering how you guys would aproach this problem? how do i know i have him? and what else can i do??

Mattmcf · 10/02/2009, 02:00 PM

how deep is your sand bed? you can construct a simple trap using the bottom half of a water bottle. What you do is cut the water bottle to be the depth of your sand bed and place it near where you suspect the crab to be. Burry the bottle so only the hole is visible and have the sand be as close to the lip of your trap as possible. Bait the bottom of the trap with something meaty (shrimp, scallop, clam, just something that has some density and will not float out). Do this right before lights out in your tank. You will catch a few hermits a night but also should eventually catch the nuisance crab. Remember they are opportunistic feeders so it will not pass up a free meal for long! Just check it each morning, remove bait and dumb bluelegs, then repeat the next night! good luck and dont forget pics when you catch him!

chefbenry89 · 10/02/2009, 02:09 PM

yo!!!!!!!!!! i think i love you!! thats pretty smart! i wish i woulda done this before destroying my rock work!!! haha about 4-5 inch sand bed but some places are shallow some are deep cause of serious waterflow!

bubbly · 10/02/2009, 02:09 PM

I would just take him to your LFS and give it to them -- I am sure someone might want it.

Your hermits are probably killing each other -- 90 hermits for a 55 gallon is way too much, and they are probably busy killing each other to reduce competition for food.

Those "clean up crew specials" on websites are a big scam. The most important part of your clean up crew (the bristle worms) already came with your live rock.

goochesfish · 10/02/2009, 02:12 PM

You can also throw it in the sump/refugium if you have one

username in use · 10/02/2009, 02:23 PM

I only have like 3 hermits in my 40breeder. Snails is the name of the game when it comes to algae control. I think they are killing each other. That being said, it would help to see a photo of the crab in question as there are definitely crabs that you dont want in your reef.

chefbenry89 · 10/02/2009, 04:23 PM

i watched him hunting a hermit,, he brought it into his rock, and waited till he popped his head out then the orange crab jumped on him... until he got him! then the pom-pom! t didn't kill him yet but i hope i get him 1st

. i will get a pic, but it took me 3 monts to find him, let alone catch and take pics! i figure if he is not that bad now, i better get him before he gets big!
Maybe we could come to an agreement and he would survive in the sump

. i don't know shoot first... chat later

Ya, probaly too many hermits... i liked the hermit fights when i first added them, just thought it was funny, shoulda relized they were trin to kill eachother... i didn't buy them in a cleanup crew, but i customized my own i learned i nead snails, mostly in the sump, i don't think i want any crabs there because i want to increase pod populations, for a mandarin. Any thoughts?

chefbenry89 · 10/02/2009, 04:24 PM

btw, just got back from the store, i got some shrimp. i hope he likes them...

SBGRAD24 · 10/02/2009, 05:26 PM

I had a nasty crab living in my tank for weeks and I had no luck catching him in a bottle. I hate killing things, but this guy was wreaking havoc on my snail population so I had to do something. I waited till the lights were off and then used a flashlight to find which of his spots he was hanging out in. Then I shined the flashlight in his eyes with one hand, and stabbed him with a metal skewer with my other hand. The nassarius snails almost immediately started coming from all directions and had a nice feast.

VacavilleFC3S · 10/02/2009, 06:10 PM

i woke up the other morning to find a rather large hermit had just killed and eaten my brand new $10 fighting conch, he was immediately tossed in the sump, last night i find that he has climbed from one baffle to the next, and killed my large nerite snail. as revenge for my little comrades i grabbed him out of the sump with tongs and tossed his butt out out into my back yard. eye for an eye guys, don't

most LFS are just going to toss them into the puffer and trigger tank.

desolo · 10/02/2009, 08:10 PM

holy crap, why do you have 90 hermits in a 55 gallon? i have a 75 gallon with only 6, and they do alot.

mal1099 · 10/02/2009, 10:19 PM

yeah only 5 hermits in my 52. 40 snails tho
i also had a crab problem. pulled out his rock and hit it with soda water they leave pretty fast

10/02/2009, 01:44 PM	#1
chefbenry89 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Harrisburg Area Posts: 45	hmm... orange, kinda fuzzy, and a scary lookin claw! Cant be good... Hey guys! i have 1 small problem... but the problem is that it will GROW! my tank is 3 months old 55gal and lots of sand and rock and water flow, i get a big cleanup crew, started with about 90 hermits, and a pom-pom crab and a few other things. i noticed the hermits... 'dissapearing' and yesterday noticed my pom-pom have become a lonley-pom crab I have found a lil orange crab ***** *****. usually seems to hang out in the same rock, on the bottom of a 2 foot tall pile of rocks. i have removed the rock into a bucket of water, he is lucky its not boiling yet! neway. i was just wondering how you guys would aproach this problem? how do i know i have him? and what else can i do??

10/02/2009, 02:12 PM	#5
goochesfish Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 1,305	You can also throw it in the sump/refugium if you have one __________________ The Gooch, my Beagle, may she RIP 1995-2011 Current Tank Info: 150 gallon Starfire set up July 22,09, 30g QT

10/02/2009, 02:23 PM	#6
username in use Sciencing Daily Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 6,560	I only have like 3 hermits in my 40breeder. Snails is the name of the game when it comes to algae control. I think they are killing each other. That being said, it would help to see a photo of the crab in question as there are definitely crabs that you dont want in your reef. __________________ Joshua "With fronds like these, who needs anemones?" - Albert Einstein Current Tank Info: multiple nano's sprinkled around the house

10/02/2009, 04:23 PM	#7
chefbenry89 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Harrisburg Area Posts: 45	i watched him hunting a hermit,, he brought it into his rock, and waited till he popped his head out then the orange crab jumped on him... until he got him! then the pom-pom! t didn't kill him yet but i hope i get him 1st. i will get a pic, but it took me 3 monts to find him, let alone catch and take pics! i figure if he is not that bad now, i better get him before he gets big! Maybe we could come to an agreement and he would survive in the sump. i don't know shoot first... chat later Ya, probaly too many hermits... i liked the hermit fights when i first added them, just thought it was funny, shoulda relized they were trin to kill eachother... i didn't buy them in a cleanup crew, but i customized my own i learned i nead snails, mostly in the sump, i don't think i want any crabs there because i want to increase pod populations, for a mandarin. Any thoughts?

10/02/2009, 05:26 PM	#9
SBGRAD24 Registered Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 873	I had a nasty crab living in my tank for weeks and I had no luck catching him in a bottle. I hate killing things, but this guy was wreaking havoc on my snail population so I had to do something. I waited till the lights were off and then used a flashlight to find which of his spots he was hanging out in. Then I shined the flashlight in his eyes with one hand, and stabbed him with a metal skewer with my other hand. The nassarius snails almost immediately started coming from all directions and had a nice feast. __________________ Those that make peaceful change impossible, make violent change inevitable. John F. Kennedy Current Tank Info: 90g reef with mostly softies. 40g Firebelly Toad terrarium.

10/02/2009, 02:00 PM	#2
Mattmcf Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Orlando Posts: 299	how deep is your sand bed? you can construct a simple trap using the bottom half of a water bottle. What you do is cut the water bottle to be the depth of your sand bed and place it near where you suspect the crab to be. Burry the bottle so only the hole is visible and have the sand be as close to the lip of your trap as possible. Bait the bottom of the trap with something meaty (shrimp, scallop, clam, just something that has some density and will not float out). Do this right before lights out in your tank. You will catch a few hermits a night but also should eventually catch the nuisance crab. Remember they are opportunistic feeders so it will not pass up a free meal for long! Just check it each morning, remove bait and dumb bluelegs, then repeat the next night! good luck and dont forget pics when you catch him!

10/02/2009, 02:09 PM	#3
chefbenry89 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Harrisburg Area Posts: 45	yo!!!!!!!!!! i think i love you!! thats pretty smart! i wish i woulda done this before destroying my rock work!!! haha about 4-5 inch sand bed but some places are shallow some are deep cause of serious waterflow!

10/02/2009, 02:09 PM	#4
bubbly Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 331	I would just take him to your LFS and give it to them -- I am sure someone might want it. Your hermits are probably killing each other -- 90 hermits for a 55 gallon is way too much, and they are probably busy killing each other to reduce competition for food. Those "clean up crew specials" on websites are a big scam. The most important part of your clean up crew (the bristle worms) already came with your live rock.

10/02/2009, 04:24 PM	#8
chefbenry89 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Harrisburg Area Posts: 45	btw, just got back from the store, i got some shrimp. i hope he likes them...

10/02/2009, 06:10 PM	#10
VacavilleFC3S Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Vacaville California Posts: 2,613	i woke up the other morning to find a rather large hermit had just killed and eaten my brand new $10 fighting conch, he was immediately tossed in the sump, last night i find that he has climbed from one baffle to the next, and killed my large nerite snail. as revenge for my little comrades i grabbed him out of the sump with tongs and tossed his butt out out into my back yard. eye for an eye guys, don't most LFS are just going to toss them into the puffer and trigger tank.

10/02/2009, 08:10 PM	#11
desolo Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: dallas, TX Posts: 66	holy crap, why do you have 90 hermits in a 55 gallon? i have a 75 gallon with only 6, and they do alot.

10/02/2009, 10:19 PM	#12
mal1099 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Everett Wa Posts: 244	yeah only 5 hermits in my 52. 40 snails tho i also had a crab problem. pulled out his rock and hit it with soda water they leave pretty fast