Any Effective Crab Terminator ?

[Golf]

Hi Guys and Gals !

I wonder if some experts got any effective ways to trap and destroy nuisance Crabs hiding inside LRs.

I think I've got 4~5 nuisance crabs in my 4ft tank. I've 3 fishes, 2 C.Shrimps and 1B.Shrimp. The rest are just corals and clams.

Option 1 - Take out LR one by one......use chop stick to search and kill them, one by one. But concerned that it would stressed out my LS and Corals....re-scaping is pretty back-braking. Don't prefer this option.

Option 2 - Tried making Crab trap...but Crabs dun kenna trap easily. Must be my trap lousy. Any good design ? Also concerned that the Prawn piece left overnight may increase Ammonia/ Nitrite level due to decaying process.

Option 3 - I heard some types of shrimps can search and destroy crabs. Is it true ? If yes, which type (BOXER?) Will it also KILL my BS and CS ?

Any other effective suggestion ???? Please help if as soon as possible...need to fly to Japan for business trip liao. Hope to terminate them before my trip.

Thanks alot !!!!

Golf

[Tanzy]

There's only one crab terminator and that will be the octopus but it terminate a lot of other things too.

[tfrancis]

Maybe a crab eating fish ??

Heard from the LFS that there are some fishes that eats crab.

the down side is, it will also eat the shrimp or anyhting that fit into it's mouth. Maybe catch the fish to another tank and let the crab eating fish roam for a few days to hunt for the crabs ?

[Tanzy]

Maybe a crab eating fish ??

Heard from the LFS that there are some fishes that eats crab.

the down side is, it will also eat the shrimp or anyhting that fit into it's mouth. Maybe catch the fish to another tank and let the crab eating fish roam for a few days to hunt for the crabs ?

You are talking about the trigger fish. It will terminate your fingers too.

[BarraCudaTM]

I think spade made a trap before using a bottle with a inverted top.

[Golf]

Q1) Can anyone post a crab trap....success rate ? What is the bait used ? Does it pose danger of increase NH4 due to decaying bait?

Q2) Any other solutions ?

Thanks, Golf

[element]

try using dis method,aft abt 1 hr u off all your light,including your hse light.using a torch light to find the crabs,use a sharp pointed stick & kill it.Action muz be fast.So far,i manage to get out 2 of them.

[hbpencil]

This is the method that I learnt from here.

1. Use a Chicken Essence bottle.

2. Put in a piece of prawn meat.

3. Place the bottle inside your tank, opening face up at an angel, lying near your live rock before lights out. A position that you think the crab can still crawl to the opening and once they go in ... that's it.

4. Next day morning, collect your prize.

It has been quite successful for me ... so far about 22 crabs in 3 weeks.

[AlfaRomeo]

22 crabs in 3 weeks! wow, that must be a record or sumthing.. do you let the crabs go at the sea after u catch them?

[hbpencil]

sad to say .... no. Time and distance do not permit me to do that. I have tried asking some LFS whether they want it but answer is no.

[joachimsim]

Golf, and guys,

I have witnessed my modest BOxer/Banded Shrimp...take a Crab with its hands...I think the crab was killed by it..so it makan it.

Guess it was hungry as it never get my cyclopeeze to eat.

[Golf]

Hi All !

Wow....brands essense bottle really good huh ! Die..die...must try lah !

Second method, use BOXER or Banded Shrimps...heard before. But I also learned that it don't just kill crabs... but also cleaner shrimps and blood shrimps too. Is it true ? Cos I got two pregnant CS and 1 BS inside my tank too.

Thanks, Golf

[KingFish]

Not too sure about CBS killing crabs but it may just make mincemeat out of your Blood Shrimp.

With the shrimps about, you'll have them eating the bait in your trap before the crabs can get to it.

Nothing beats a small pointy object and a good torch light in hand scouring the rocks for peskies.

[pacificbetta]

I noticed that if the opening of the bottle is sufficiently small enough for the "feelers" of the shrimp to impede its entry, we are generally ok. Bottle openig should not be bigger than 4 times the width of the shrimp body, just a guideline.

[nicky30092002]

think the brands bottle is not bad ... juz caught one more tis morning after i saw him tearing fleshes of my turbo snail last night!!!

todate 5snails dead due to crabs liao .. hope it is the last of them ... (came wif the mushroom rocks i bought .. wonder how u guys cure rocks like that?)

[jc85]

I recently saw my six-line wrasse attack and ate a small crab. My CBS seems to ignore all those crabs and they are friendly to my SKUNK chrimp too.

Personally had tried bottle trap without success because my SKUNK always get trap 1st instead.

Just my 2 cts.

Cheers

[Golf]

Hey Guys!

I followed the advise to use "Essense of Chicken" bottle....works man ! I caught two crabs by using two bottles.

I will try again tonite...cos I think there are 2 or 3 crabs left somewhere..hiding among the 60kgs of LR....

Cheers!

[hypervtec]

sounds gd leh,can get 2 on 1 nite.juz a few question,so u leave the bottle til next day to collect or u get it out immediately aft the crab went in? did u make the opening smaller so that it can go in but cannot come out? or the surface of the bottle too smooth that the crab cannot craw out? but crabs swim oso hor...

[Terryz_]

Crabs swims???? You go find one that swims... Hee... coz the bottle too smooth they cannot crawl out...

[hypervtec]

oic...i tot crab oso swim side way..keke...muz go try out oso liao..thanks terry.

[Golf]

Hey !

I caught another two crabs yesterday night.....two crabs inside one bottle. (So total four crabs in two nights). No bad huh !!!

Note : I also noticed both my cleaner shrimps going for the prawn bait...which was inside the bottle trap. So I had to improvise...tying 2 rubber bands on the bottle openning , like a exact CROSS or PLUS sign. Reduce the openning size by 75%....so only crabs can crawl-in...then it is "one way ticket" for the crab.

It works man !!!! Results show....so far it is 100% success rate for me. Note : Works only at night, not evening or daytime...OK !

Cheers!

[arcanehacker]

what do you people do with crabs.. I found one in my LR yesterday.. quite small and eating off the LR. Not sure what I will do if I really caught one.. killing it? .. isn't it cruel..

[Golf]

Hmmm....dish out chilli or pepper crab crusine lah!!! Just kidding !

Probably just let go...into the sea... But will it hurt those natural corals in the sea? In that case, second thought.....kill it !

[terryansimon]

my mum throws it down the rubbish chute. she blames the death of my firefishes on crabs.

[Golf]

Hmmmm...simple and easy way to dispose.

My son said....use a hammer to kill it...since it cause me so much trouble last week when it NIB my sea-cuke.

Ha ! Ha! But quite cruel leh....probably let go in lokang....heaven help them lor !