Crab hitchhiker

OK, so our live rock is now starting to get exciting. We were observing our tank last night when we noticed a small white claw poking out of a cave! So far, all our guys have been good (feather dusters, lots of peanut worms and pods)...but this little fellow has us on alert!

A few days ago we added our first CUC inverts- 3 Banded Trochus and 3 Nerite snails...and we're pleased to say that so far they are all doing well. Our crabby fellow doesn't seem to want to emerge from his little lair, he just picks at algae on the rocks. Any ideas on how to lure him out? How can we capture him? We're thinking we'd probably like to get him out of the display tank and into our sump somehow... Or could we just let him be...

 

Try to get a picture of it, but normally they say that pointy claws = danger, rounded claws = safe. Have you seen what he looks like?

 

No, so far just the claw, we have not seen him out and about. It's small, all white and thin, and shape-wise looks more like a lobster-type claw. We'd like to get him out so we can snap a pic.

 

they say if you put some food in the bottom of a pint glass and then tilt in on an angle the crab will crawl in to get it but not be able to crawl out. I've never tried this myself though So i'm not sure how effective it is. I had a hithiker once and I just grabbed the rock he was hiding in and tossed it into a 5 Gal where he came scampering out because he wanted NO part of it.

 

The tank is new so there isn't much to disturb, but his little cave happens to be on a big piece of rock. And our rocks are interlocked a little bit. While I'm sure he would want no part of that...I kinda don't want a part of it either, lol.

Will try the food in glass trap to see if that snares him.

 

Actually...come to think of it...I suppose he could be a little lobster too...do you think this trap would also apply if that is the case?

 

Got a so-so pic but definitely got a good look at him last night. Definitely a small hairy crab. Set up the glass trap with some frozen krill as bait but no luck yet. He seems "shy" and does not venture far from his cave...but I definitely want to banish him to the sump whenever I'm able to catch the bugger.

 

yes the glass trap works just give it time. put it in at night when you turn the lights off

 

Survived to tell the tale but what an epic battle this was! As it turned out, we had to fight off several small hairy crabs that were extremely stubborn and entrenched in their lairs in our live rock. Tried the glass trap but they were too clever to fall for that. Tried to flush them out with club soda...which got a few of them but others managed to hang in there despite that. Finally, a nice long hypersalinity dip flushed out the rest. Some of them perished, which was not our intention...we really admired even respected their resilency...but they had to be removed...the captured survivors have been banished to our sump.

 

Congrats. Sounds like it was a rewarding experience for both parties lol.. OK so maybe not so much for your new hairy friends...