Unknown resident!

can any body help with id on a crab (please see my photos in the galery as i cant upload it here as it is too large and my brain too small!)

it was found in a frag of pulse coral i got from a friend in the lfs.

it is completely white except for slight brown markings on the top of the caripace (cant spell either!).

It blends in so well i only got a glimpse when it nipped me for getting too close.

It is about 2cm from left to right and has molded into the pulse, and been there for some time, that the pulse has grown over it so much so that i had thought the pulse had originated on top of an old exoskeleton!

any ideas? (help would also be appreciated if someone could tell me how to reduce the size of photos to stop the above inconvenience - sorry !)

levi

 

Is there any way to get a clearer shot? It may be a symiotic crab, but I would definately keep an eye on him.

 

Trying to see the crab.

Usually all white crabs with one black stripe are Acro Crabs. Not a bad crab, and live only in acros

J

 

sorry i cant get a much better picture.... the crab is the white thing immediately below the pulse and between the rock. he is sitting with his arms crossed..

he has about 5 brown stripes running from the front of his head to his back and the rest of him is white.

thanks.

levi

 

i know that i have now miffed both him and the pulse off, but the pulse is fourth generation and is meant to be hardy.... will leave both alone from now on......

will keep an eye on the crab though... he must be nocturnal as it has not moved 1 mm.

 

Check out Wet Web for some Ideas.
It's not what I origonally thought (Acro Crab) I would get it out of your tank.

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/swcrabidfaqs.htm

 

I think I would agree with Jason and take it out of your tank!! If it nipped at your finger it will nip at your fish also, I had a bad experience with 4 crabs that were hitchhikers on my LR they were eating the polyps from my corals and also killed my 2 firefish they also would nip at me when I tried to get them out of my tank, I had to remove all of my LR just to catch them. The Trigger at My LFS enjoyed them for an afternoon snack
....................................................................... John

 

Thanks for the link... they have a photo onthe crab indentity 2 page that matches ( first photo) but no info that i can find..

i have removed him and the pulse coral to the refugium... so he will have to defend himself from the SOB reef lobster (which was sold as reef safe but i know he wiped out three of my blue anthias)..

wish him luck...

Levi

 

Probably a type of anemone crab:

http://www.seasky.org/reeflife/sea2e.html
http://www.uwphoto.net/pages/gallery_png-0044a.html
http://www.saltwaterfish.com/m-inverts/Anemone-Crab.html
http://www.saltwaterfish.com/m-inverts/White-Anemone-Crab.html