damn crab

I recently bought a beautiful rock covered with star polyps and peices of the polyps mat dangling all over just a nice lookin rock and for a while I didnt know why peices of the loose mat was ending up on the sand bed and basically being torn off didnt know what it could be.Come to find out a had a POS crab that hitched a ride on a previous rock I bought I finally saw it one day and I said Ill be damned that why I got so pissed caught him a flushed his punk A%& down the toilet kinda inhumane I know but he destroyed my star polyps and he needed be sent elswhere lmao but hopefully these guys will start spreadin again.I used to have to emerald crabs when I first started my tank and I made the mistake of adding a beautiful peice of rock with orange polyps and they wreaked havoc on that left me about 4 polyps when I got on to what they were doing but happy to say I have about 20 that grew back now and its lookin better hope the stars do the same.

 

My emerald crabs have never messed with anything.

Was the crab you flushed an emerald?

 

i had some emeralds once, as soon as i added a colony of zoas they went nuts trying to eat them. so out they went to spend the rest of their lives in the sump(which wasn't to long the skimmer got'em)

 

I am not sure what type of crab it was it looked simliar to an emerald but it was a purpleish color

 

My emerald crab hasn't touched anything - button polyps or the green star polyp - just lucky, I guess?

 

Their seems to be mixed results with emerald crabs. I recently took one back to the LFS for a few reasons.

First it was eating my pagoda coral. After I caught it eating the pagoda I moved it to another tank, were it decided to rearrange all the smaller pieces of live rock.

And the find deciding factor for taking it back to the fish store was it snipped then entire caudal fin off of one of my clown fish causing its unavoidable death.

I think I will stick with the hermit crabs.

 

Crabs, specifically Emeralds, are opportunistic feeders, though their choice of foods are algae. Your crab may have been trying to eat algae/detritus that was trapped between your star polyps on the mat(stolon).
IMO, Emeralds are an essential part of a reef tank.
I have never had any problems regarding my Emeralds what so ever! They occassionally will stick their claw up in defense if one of my fish gets too close to it but it is a reaction to a possible predator!!!
Having said this...it is possible that you will come across a living organism that goes against the laws and rules that govern its being so called "reef safe" unfortunately!!!!

 

Hitman, how did you catch that crab? I have one that Id love to get out but cant get near it. The SOB is about 3". Doesnt really bother anything but hes always knocking things over, almost broke the tank glass.

 

well he was inside a rock that i have and I just took out the rock put it in a bucket shook it around and he fell right out

 

When first starting out I had a gorilla crab (small and fuzzy) doing no-no's in tank. Had a heck of a time getting him also.

After allot of time and resolution/determination finally caught him with a piece of netting baited with a small hunk of shrimp.

He spent an hour or so in the freezer before taking the toilet ride.