Capturing an Emerald Crab

I had 2 emerald crabs in the tank - one small and one that had gotten HUGE. After watching the bigger one take a few swipes at my new pygmy angel, I decided it may be time to get the crab out. So, last night I made one of those inverted water bottle thingie traps where you cut off the top, invert it inside the bottle, but bait inside, hope crab crawls in and can't crawl out. I lowered it in the tank and waited, and the only thing I ever saw trying to crawl in there was the cleaner shrimp and a hermit crab. After the moon lights had been on awhile, we saw the big emerald crab sitting on top of my GSP on the tank (Army tank, that is). The GSP was all closed up and the emerald was just sitting there. Jwin stuck his hand in to single-handedly capture the emerald crab. He got it too. That thing had a grip so strong we almost pulled all the LR out with it (well, not quite), but it finally let go. No, I didn't feed it to Princess and no, I didn't flush it down the toilet. It's in the fuge now - probably eating all my macro algae, so John Maloney, I'll probably be calling soon for replacements!

As far as the bait in my trap, the brittle star, serpeant star, pistol shrimp, and dendro all got a snack!

Here he was this morning (lower right corner). Mission accomplished.

 

That thing moved like a maniac in my hand...

My mom made it sound easy. Just stick your hand in there and grab him. A) he's big enough to pinch me pretty well if he wanted to and B) he was holding onto that coral like tarzan.

 

Soooo, will the crab now become mantis grub?

 

I have one emerald crab left as I had purchased two originally together about 8 months ago. I believe they are a great cleaner of live rock. I would have left him alone. The Pigmy Angel has to fend for himself anyway otherwise he'll just be overwhelmed by some other tankmate. Life in the tank is tough I view it somewhat like school is for humans. Also Emerald Crabs don't have a long lifespan from what I've read for what it's worth.

 

It wasn't THAT BAD - coming from the perspective of me watching on the outside....he did have a death grip on that GSP, though....

I hope note! Princess has already taken out her "tank mate," the hermit crab. I couln't watch her rip apart my emerald crab! He'll have a fun time in my sump/fuge......dining on my macro algae....

 

Wow got a pic of him? I have a small emerald.. just wondering how big they will get.
I have seen him get in a bashing fight with the blue damsel lol... was funny

 

Here you go! The shell on this one is probably about an inch or so across. My smaller one is about half the size with much smaller claws. The one must have been on steroids because out of nowhere, his claws just GREW. He could have definitely damaged my fire fish and pygmy angel, and the night we took him out, he was working over one of my bird's nest corals. Ugh.