I Hate Hairy Crabs!!!!

[Achilles Tang]

I was wondering why a few of my acro colonies didn't have polyps extended and then I saw it... hairy acro crabs... known to eat acropora polyps and doing just that!!! AARRGGH!!!

Out came the pincers and gotcha... the big ones got the sharp point into their mouths and instant death... the smaller ones got yanked out.

Danano was at my place a couple of weeks back and his sharp eyes spotted one on my blue tort that has a receding patch... and yes, you guessed it... a tiny hairy acro crab!

I seemed to be hunting crabs with a vengeance now... just took out 3 crabs... biggest one had a carapace the size of a 1 cent coin.

They are easily IDed by hairs on their legs and they seem to have whitish/blue eyes. Their claws also have black-tips. These are definitely not filter-feeders like the smooth and white Porcelain Crabs that inhabit acropora corals.

[Achilles Tang]

Don't they look EVIL?

[Achilles Tang]

Here's what their black-tip claws look like.

[Chris]

I have two of these and I kept checking everyday that they are alright! I thought they are cute and good for the scro since they came together. Wah lao...I damn sotong!!

They shall not live past tonight!

[nleong]

While I was moving some LR last week, I saw one as big as 1" climbing around the stack of LR which have been left dry for weeks. Imagine their survivability.

I know I still have one in my tank, just cannot find it.

Btw, what about those commensual crab that comes with acro, those should be alright right ?

[Chris]

Mine came with the acro, that's why thot it's good.

Discover it has blue eye, thot lagi better.

Now, see AT's pic....same crab.....

[pospeh]

Hey it's Hairy Crab season now. Love those roe.

Maybe you can find a big 5 inch specimen and sell them to the restaurants.

[Achilles Tang]

While I was moving some LR last week, I saw one as big as 1" climbing around the stack of LR which have been left dry for weeks. Imagine their survivability.

I know I still have one in my tank, just cannot find it.

Btw, what about those commensual crab that comes with acro, those should be alright right ?

Actually, yours may be a different species... no way these crabs can survive even 24 hours without water. They dehydrate and die. The ones I caught last night at 12 midnight are already dried and dead this morning!

Commensual crabs are different from these crabs.

[nleong]

Well, I don't even bother to go look at it. after finishing removing the rocks, i just wrapped up the plastic bag and throw into the chute.

Not sure if its still alive somewhere in tampines.

[Dazza]

These hairy crabs are very common in rocks of local waters. Almost every piece of rock collected locally has one ot two in them. best to get rid of tem as they attack fishes when the fishes are asleep.zzz zzz zzz, Ouch!!!

[Cookiemunster]

Sigh no wonder my poor firefish and purple fish have all disappeared. I had 6 of them and now left with two.

[Tanzy]

I've never seen the rock hairy crabs attack acros before. It's always the type of hairy crab that's already on the wild colony that eats the polyps. I'll always pull them out before I epoxy the colony down and feed those furry guys to my hungry hermits.

[Hon]

I put my hairy acro crab into my wife's cute little damsel tank ...

[Tanzy]

I put my hairy acro crab into my wife's cute little damsel tank ...

Is that a glimpse of what hell will be like? DOWLR.

[sduu]

ha ha, caught this hairy bugger nipping my acros 2 days back. now banish to my sump tank

[ah_d3x]

ah... i saw some in my tank but not this colour its white....

hehe lucky i no acro.

[Dispar_Anthias]

ha ha, caught this hairy bugger nipping my acros 2 days back. now banish to my sump tank

Throw it intot he skimmer cup and let it taste a cuop of kopi

[reefer guy]

thanks for the advice AT!!!! after reading this post, rushed back home and grab those 2 hair monsters out of my acro....

[Tigger]

Got a similar crab that came along with my Suncoral. Its gone now, meaning dead! Die a slow painful death among skimate from my skimmer!

[Chris]

My acro is too dense and my pincers cannot reach in to pull out the crabs. How? Any other ways to get the crabs out. My acro doesn't seem to be suffering from the crabs?

[Joe_P]

My acro is too dense and my pincers cannot reach in to pull out the crabs. How? Any other ways to get the crabs out. My acro doesn't seem to be suffering from the crabs?

Stab them with something sharp..... it works for me....

[Achilles Tang]

I use the business end of my pincers to give it a death blow. The corpse will release its grip in the acro branches and fall out/be pulled out easily.

[reefer guy]

i used bbq skewer (bamboo sticks) and simply pierced them....