Hitch hiker and cycle???

[jeffdenney]

im new to saltwater.. have a few high tech planted tanks..but I just recently setup my 25 gal and 10gal sump for a reef tank.. added 12lbs of live rock to dt. 5lbs to fuge.. and 50lbs carib sea live sand total..



All water params r normal besides dkh is about 11.. cycle has started.. ammonia is at .5ppm so hopegully it hurries up.. lol

Anyways I thought the liverock on the right would b a good starter rock because its fairly hollow so it will tank up some space in the tank while I add more later.. and it looked to have a ton of surface area for beneficial bacteria.. turns out it came with a little hairy crab.. I have researched it as best I can and it looks like a gorilla crab...I think.. I have seen it called a hairy crab a few times also... i cant snap pics because he books it as soon as I hit him with the flashlight...

All I can say for sure is that he is black and hairy and maybe about the size of a nickel or quater..

So my question is should I just let him chill while im cycling or remove him now? I know he will most likely have to go eventually but wouldnt he b helping the cycle if I could feed him and keep him alive during?? And what should I feed him if I do keep him?? I dropped a hikari sinking wafer in there.. right by his hideout.. he didnt go for it but the lights were on pretty high.. I think they r for freshwater but it is like 30% protein and made with krill so I figured he would b able to smell it breaking down.. if he doesnt eat it.. it will just help cycle..

I can try to take some pics when I get off work at ten.. ill have to use my ninja skills..

Thanks for any help and I have learned a ton on this site already..

[jeffdenney]

He is in the fuge.. I put one astrea snail in the fuge to see if he messes with it.. put three more in DT also..

[Lucky Lefty]

For now i would leave him and see what happens. What type of fish are you going to get, and what kind of clean up crew did you have in mind?

One wise member here once said, "I dont trust anything that wears its skeleton on the outside", when it comes to trusting crabs and hermits with other vulnerable livestock.. and that stuck in my head.

[jeffdenney]

Thats a good quote. I will remember that also.. I pulled him and put him in the fuge.. I put one astrea snail in there with him since I have diatoms in there.. the three astrea snails in my DT r demolishing diatoms..

If he kills the snail in the fuge ill prolly get rid of him. But he hasnt caused any trouble yet.. as far as livestock.. im not even close to stocking yet.. tank is just finishing cycling.. i havent planned that far yet.. maybe a pair of clowns or a goby or something. Thanks for your help.. I plan on just letting him live for a while. Not sure what to feed Him..

Ive researched xanthid crabs a little so I might swing by the lfs and crab some mysis..