How to catch a gorilla crab?

[d3rryc]

Hey, there!

Unfortunately, I've had a gorilla crab hitchhike into my tank on some live rock. I didn't even know he was there until I found a molted skin one morning, and I can count on one hand the number of times I've actually seen the bugger. At any rate, he's my prime suspect for a spate of recent livestock losses, the latest of which was my PJ cardinal yesterday.

So how do I catch the little SOB? I completely rescaped the rockwork a few weeks back, and I was hoping to nab him then. However, I never could find him, despite turning over just about every rock in the tank. I've made a couple of half-hearted attempts to catch him using a small drinking glass with some bait at the bottom, but I kept ending up with a glass full of hermits or ceriths in the morning instead of a gorilla crab.

Any advice is GREATLY appreciated,
Derry

[bexarhunt]

I feel your pain. I have had lots of bad luck with them too. The last straw was when I found my clown fish literally with his insides hanging out and the crab scurrying back into the rock. After several attempts I ended up drillling a hole thru the live rock close to the hole he was hanging out in and pushing him out with a screwdriver. This was after several failed attempts of being polite like keeping the rock in a low salt solution for a few hours, trying to bait him out with food, etc etc. The shot glass with food in it didn't work for me either. Good luck!

[subsailor]

you could always try this :ph34r: sorry didn't look at the whole link

[d3rryc]

Believe me, if I could see him at any given time (much less get to him), I'd have already harpooned him with a kabob skewer!

[ACE]

:lauging:...very funny!


you could always try this :ph34r: sorry didn't look at the whole link

[d3rryc]

Alright, I'm getting desperate here - I came home from work today to find that my red scooter blenny is now AWOL. Surely SOMEBODY out there knows how to catch a crab who's good at staying out of sight and whose hiding place is unknown.

HELP!!!
Derry

[captexas]

You could probably try one of those small fish traps, maybe bait it at night and catch him. Maybe one of the LFS up there will have one or someone has one they will let you borrow. Other option that is more work is when you see him dart back into a piece of rock, take the entire rock out of the tank. It will eventually crawl out or die.

[sampsonndelila]

Loved the harpoon idea. Man we could really work this... some little rubberbands- some tooth picks- tube of elmers glue. BAM-DEVISTATION!!! Die little crab... die! Ok, I am better. That let off a little aggression.

[ErikH]

Seriously, you will probably have to just take rocks out and look in every crack and crevice until you spot it. I would sit in front of my tank with a six pack and stare until you spot a sign of it. It's not going to stop from the sound of it, so just keep your eyes peeled. Alot of crabs are nocturnal, and I while I am not positive, it may be a good time over this weekend to try and observe at night with a red light...

[d3rryc]

Update for anyone still interested - I finally caught the little SOB!!! I spotted him last night clinging to the underside of one of my rocks. Fortunately, it was a rock I could actually get to and remove from the tank relatively easily. When I picked the rock up, he scurried into one of the rock's holes, but a little persuasion with a kabob skewer coerced him (at the cost of one of his legs!) out of the rock and into my sump. After eating about $100 worth of my livestock, he's lucky he's kinda cool-looking, or I would have just impaled him and roasted him over the stove. ;)

Lost several battles, but won the war!
Derry

[Dominican]

Congrats! I know what you mean about Kabob skewers. I swear by them. But thought it was only me!! :D There are so many uses for 'em!!!

I just caught my huge green brittle star who ate a new blue spotted goby. :( :( :( I put a couple of silversides on a skewer and slowly coaxed him out where i could grab him with a wooden fork. Greedy bugga... Didn't hurt him. Givin' him away...

Good luck on the fresh start. :)