Who's had a coral eating emerald crab?

[DREUTZ]

Title explains it... Who has had an emerald crab in their reef that has eaten their corals? I read on some websites that they are completely reef safe and others that they may eat corals if there isn't enough food.

 

[OzoneParkGuy]

There are 2 types of Emerald crabs. True Emeralds have hairs on there hind legs with blue inner joints right before the claws (REEF SAFE) Then there are the ones that are sold as emeralds that aren't. They have black joints between. Don't know if you were aware. I have and had true emeralds and never any issues. He only stole food from them the greedy Bast===/ You may have the other.

 

[DREUTZ]

I don't have one right now. One just died, but it was almost white. It looked like an emerald, but just didn't have the green color and from what I remember there was not separate coloring on the joints. I dropped it on a pile of hair algae and he started going to town, but now he is dead and the hair algae is starting to come back.

There are emerald crabs in an LFS by me and they are about 2-3". Not only am I concerned about them eating my corals, but I have 2 shrimp gobies that would be easy prey for the emerald if they decided to munch on them. Next time I go in there I will check to see the coloring of the joints and maybe get the smallest one. Thanks

 

[knockout]

I've had, found two of them munching on my digitatas one night after the lights were off, I thought something was wrong with the coral for days, I took a picture, I'll see if I can dig it out.

 

[knockout]

here they are, lights were off at this time, just took a quick look at the tank before went to bed and saw something moving on the digis, they were eating one polyp at a time, I couldnt believe my eyes...
here is the proof

 

[CONSTANTNE]

I had an emerald eating the polyps from my Bird of Paradise. Sent him to the sump and thats where he will stay!!

 

[knockout]

There are 2 types of Emerald crabs. True Emeralds have hairs on there hind legs with blue inner joints right before the claws (REEF SAFE) Then there are the ones that are sold as emeralds that aren't. They have black joints between. Don't know if you were aware. I have and had true emeralds and never any issues. He only stole food from them the greedy Bast===/ You may have the other.

Didn't know that! :shhh: still will not risk them again! :tongue1:

 

[dubs]

knockout that can be for real it the same with the peppermint shrimp some eat aptasia and some eat ur coral too i had both

 

[OzoneParkGuy]

It's a hit or miss with Emeralds(Mithrax) and a correction. Earlier i said blue in the joint, it's red.

 

[Ben251]

It's a hit or miss with Emeralds(Mithrax) and a correction. Earlier i said blue in the joint, it's red.

+1

Iv had some eat some polyps in the past and some didnt

 

[knockout]

knockout that can be for real it the same with the peppermint shrimp some eat aptasia and some eat ur coral too i had both

LOL that is what I said when I got home that night, they may still be living int their new home!!! the sump!

 

[DREUTZ]

Thanks for the input everyone. Maybe I can tie a leash to one and put it in to eat some unwanted algae and then pull him out before he starts munching on coral and put him into the fuge haha.

Seriously though i didn't realize they would go after SPS. I thought it was mainly zoas and maybe other softies, but it makes sense that they would munch on the polyps of SPS.