Some interesting things were in my tank this morning

[nensley]

When I got home from work I noticed a couple of new things in my aquarium. First, on the side of the glass was what looks like a tiny serpent star. It is pale yellow/tan. Hitchhiker maybe? I bought new live rock about one month ago. What do you think? It went right down the glass after I saw it and buried itself in some sand. Cool! I already have a red serpent star, who has been in my tank for about 8 months. I sure hope it lives. We've had baby shrimp several times and, of course, my fish love them.. yum yum.

Not so cool was an empty turbo snail shell. :frustrat: Who is the killer? I have some tiny little blue legged hermit crabs and a large (hitchhiker) crab of some sort. It looks like the little white crabs that you see at the shore at the beach except it is black (it reminds me of a tarantula- I hate it). Who do you think the killer is? Should I get all the crabs out? I have some cerith snails that I don't want to see die.

Thanks a bunch!

 

[yote]

Could be that the Turbo fell off something and ended up on its back.Turbos can have trouble righting themselves if they get flipped.Plus there like turtles,If they cant turn over,they die from be being on their back.

 

[yote]

OH yeah
You might want to get that black hitch hiking crab outta there.Or at least see what you can find out about it.It MAY not be safe with your other critter,

 

[bobby]

I agree with yote, crabs can be very bad, they're opprotunists. The bad ones will eat what ever they can catch.

 

[HAWKS12thMAN]

things just die sometimes.... on a side note I have a snail flippin stick

 

[reeffreak]

Most likely the hitchhiker crab is the culprit.Me thinks the Dwarf blue-legged hermits are to small to kill a Turbo.

 

[Bifferwine]

I agree with Freak...I doubt it's the blue legs, unless you have some very large ones. Try to post a pic of the black hitch hiker crab if you can, then we can help to ID it and figure out if you can leave it in or take it out.

 

[nensley]

I don't have a digital camera so I can't post a pic. But the only thing I have found that comes close to it is an Emerald Crab. Except my guy is black. I am ready to throw him out since I can't find a pic and I don't know if he should be in there. What should I do with him? My girls already named him Spiderman, since he looks like a spider. So I can't just get rid of him. HELP!!

 

[SSalty]

things just die sometimes.... on a side note I have a snail flippin stick

Hawk, you should look into patending(sp?) the "Snail Flippin Stick". haha.:mrgreen:.

 

[yote]

Try googling spider crab and see what you come up with.

 

[HAWKS12thMAN]

Hawk, you should look into patending(sp?) the "Snail Flippin Stick". haha.:mrgreen:.

I would but, It turns out it already has a Copyright from 1997, The inventors called it a "double sided vibrator", At least thats what the bottom of it (the snail flippin stick) says.

 

[Bifferwine]

Ummm, back to the hitch hiking crab, if I dare??? ;)

Emerald crabs can be black. They can be all sorts of colors in fact. Green, blue, red, white, black. They are reef safe, and if you believe it is an emerald crab, I would leave it in, they are excellent algae eaters.

Another crab it might be (that REALLY looks like a spider) is a sally lightfoot crab. They are brown, but google it and see if that is what you might have also. They are flatter and they appear to have a "softer" carapace (body) unlike the emerald crab, which looks like it has a really hard carapace. Sally lightfoots MAY or MAY NOT be reef safe. When they are little, they are good scavengers, but they will go after your fish when they reach maturity. I have two of them, and they have gotten two of my fish in the last couple months. I really regret putting them in my tank.

Check it out and let us know.

 

[nensley]

Ummm, back to the hitch hiking crab, if I dare??? ;)

Emerald crabs can be black. They can be all sorts of colors in fact. Green, blue, red, white, black. They are reef safe, and if you believe it is an emerald crab, I would leave it in, they are excellent algae eaters.

Another crab it might be (that REALLY looks like a spider) is a sally lightfoot crab. They are brown, but google it and see if that is what you might have also. They are flatter and they appear to have a "softer" carapace (body) unlike the emerald crab, which looks like it has a really hard carapace. Sally lightfoots MAY or MAY NOT be reef safe. When they are little, they are good scavengers, but they will go after your fish when they reach maturity. I have two of them, and they have gotten two of my fish in the last couple months. I really regret putting them in my tank.

Check it out and let us know.

It is a Sally Lightfoot crab! That is exactly what it looks like. So I should get him out? What should I do with him?

 

[Bifferwine]

You could try and get him out, because he will go after your fish when he gets big enough. But good luck! I tried for a long time to get mine out, and they outsmarted me every time.

 

[hibye]

i knmow its a sally but emeralds are bad and not ref safeso i disagree with bifferwine