Crab ID

[MikeDeL]

This came in on one of the Frags Wendy and Chris got from Frags'NCrabs.

[MikeDeL]

It is in there now. It came in on a piece of Birdsnest.

[Polkster13]

If it is an acro crab, put it back on the birdnest. It is a communal crab and will help defend the acro colony from all invaders. Mine is doing an excellent job on my cat's paw.

[CD]

If it is an acro crab, put it back on the birdnest.


It was a *frag* of birdsnest, and not really big enough for the crab to "hang out" inside. Frags-N-Crabs double bags their corals (very nicely I might add) to keep them from harm during the shipping process...the BN was in the inner bag, and the crab in the outer. This crab is pretty fuzzy, but doesn't look like any acro crab I've ever seen...It really looked to be the "non-reef safe" kind to me.

Wendy

[Polkster13]

In that case, put him in the fuge. Otherwise, give it to me and I will give it a new home as I have three different tanks he could go into and wouldn't hurt anything.

[GaryP]

That looks like one of the crabs that Larry spotted in my abrolhensis. When I tried to get it out I noticed it had eaten a bunch of polyps on the back side of one of the branches. There are good acro crabs and bad acro crabs.

[Reef69]

Arent the colorful ones the good type?

[JimD]

Can you say Gorrila crab? Definately a nasty. Not all acro crabs are acro safe.

[MikeDeL]

I stuck this crab in my fuge. When I was looking around in it today, I saw the guy hanging onto a piece of monti digi I have glued to a ceramic ring. He was using is back legs to hang onto the frag, while hanging off the ring and picking at the sand. Here is the wierd part... he is WHITE now. Anyone know of any crabs that change color?

[CD]

he is WHITE now. Anyone know of any crabs that change color?


Found this info on a Yale research site...apparently, quite a few crabs can change color:

"Crabs have a small, limited brain. It is connected to the nerves that go to sense organs and to all parts of the body of the crab. The eyes are important to the crab. They are usually found on stalks and can make a complete revolution of 360 degrees. They can also be pulled down into eye sockets. These eyestalks also make messenger chemicals which, when combined with the nerve cells, signal changes in the color of the crab’s shell. This color change helps the crab to blend better into his environment. The red and yellow colors seem to be more controlled by the messenger chemical while the black and white colors are under the control of the nerves. Scientists are mystified by these color adaptive mechanism as well as the daily activities of the crab. They suspect that these changes are due to a biological change but it is still being studied."

Oh, and guess what, Mike? I found yet *another* hitch-hiker crab, unfortunately this one made it into the display. It is smaller than a dime, is predominantly white in coloration with patches of pinkish red coloration, has a "boxy" carapace (more like a fiddler crab - not flat like a Sally Lightfoot) and has very tiny (almost not visible) claws. The body itself is not "bristley", but has a few bristles (hair) on the legs...this isn't thick, but rather sparse. Just noticed it last night, but couldn't catch it. :roll Guess I'll try to take a pic tonight, but I doubt it would come out well due to our camera. LOL...want another crab?

Wendy

[alexwolf]

I wonder if thats why theyre called "Frags N Crabs" :P

Free crab with every frag?

[CD]

Free crab with every frag?


LOL... :lol
Actually, I think this newer crab came from FA stock, but I can't be sure. It's pretty tiny, but I would've noticed it on the Frags-N-Crabs corals I got (rubble they were attached to was very small chunks). It's a very "pretty" little crab. I never noticed it munching any corals while I watched it last night, and it appears to want to stick to the sand bed in lieu of the rockwork. Hopefully, it will come out again tonight so I can watch it feed. :ph34r

Wendy

[JimD]

"Crabs have a small, limited brain", uhhhh, I can relate to that... :wacko :blink :D