How to trap crab

[beaver]

Hi Reefers,

Any suggestions? I've got a 8cm in my tank. Didnt know it got there, probably from my purchases.

[vt_snowman87]

Hi Reefers,

Any suggestions? I've got a 8cm in my tank. Didnt know it got there, probably from my purchases.

8cm? thats humongous haha.. i caught 1 last week that was 6cm at most haha..

u can try this method, it's very effective..

use a glass container, make sure its big and wide enough for the crab, and make sure its deep enough so the crab can't crawl out.

place the glass container upright, or near upright, near the 'home' of the crab, with a huge fat piece of prawn meat inside.

check on the container in the middle of the night or next day morning.. you should see the crab inside.. it can't crawl out as its too slippery..

good luck!

[beaver]

8cm? thats humongous haha.. i caught 1 last week that was 6cm at most haha..

u can try this method, it's very effective..

use a glass container, make sure its big and wide enough for the crab, and make sure its deep enough so the crab can't crawl out.

place the glass container upright, or near upright, near the 'home' of the crab, with a huge fat piece of prawn meat inside.

check on the container in the middle of the night or next day morning.. you should see the crab inside.. it can't crawl out as its too slippery..

good luck!

Thanks Bro! Will try to catch the bugger

[comycus]

better make sure those 2 are the only crabs in your tank... Should try to get rid of all of them in your tank... irritating buggers.

[sherman]

I got one in yesterday xenia buy.

Lucky the rock that come with the xenia was too big to my like.

So I break up the rock.

While breaking up the rock saw the 3 cm crab.

Catch it and flash it into the toilet bowl

[jackywongto]

I got one in yesterday xenia buy.

Lucky the rock that come with the xenia was too big to my like.

So I break up the rock.

While breaking up the rock saw the 3 cm crab.

Catch it and flash it into the toilet bowl

That's a huge hitchhiker.

glad you got it out.

[beaver]

Hi Bro VT Snowman87,

Tried your method but it wasn't successful. I am getting desperate as this crab seems to have a taste for soft corals. I've lost a whole colony of Zoas and now it wiped out my long-time yellow polyps practically overnight (or rather a few hours..they were still around this morning. Now the rock is totally bare!) Grrrr....I am worried it will continue to demolish my lifestock. Don't dare to buy anymore stuff until I can catch it.

Any alternatives (other than tearing the tank down..which I am tempted)?

Thanks

[craftsman]

Hi Bro VT Snowman87,

Tried your method but it wasn't successful. I am getting desperate as this crab seems to have a taste for soft corals. I've lost a whole colony of Zoas and now it wiped out my long-time yellow polyps practically overnight (or rather a few hours..they were still around this morning. Now the rock is totally bare!) Grrrr....I am worried it will continue to demolish my lifestock. Don't dare to buy anymore stuff until I can catch it.

Any alternatives (other than tearing the tank down..which I am tempted)?

Thanks

Can try and put a trap (betta box) with prawn in it, and wait for it to go in then shut the lid. I also had a small crab. I took the entire rock in which it was hiding out o the tank, and used a long stout wire to pierce it dead.

[CanadaGirl]

I also had a coral eating crab. Took me months to catch him! Finally got him by trapping him in a corner and using a barbeque skewer to pierce his shell. I know that sounds cruel but he was a coral murderer!

Can try and put a trap (betta box) with prawn in it, and wait for it to go in then shut the lid. I also had a small crab. I took the entire rock in which it was hiding out o the tank, and used a long stout wire to pierce it dead.

[poomoon]

I also had a coral eating crab. Took me months to catch him! Finally got him by trapping him in a corner and using a barbeque skewer to pierce his shell. I know that sounds cruel but he was a coral murderer!

phew ... aaaand, you had a grill waiting ?

[beaver]

Hi All,

Just an update - I am please to say that I've managed to catch the monster! :-) I saw it in the open last night but as usual, it was too fast..it retreated quickly into a crevice in the liverock. I decided to use my bare hands to dislodge it from it's hiding place (yes, i was desperate and couldnt care less if it bites me). It has tightly embedded itself and I took a good 20 minutes (changing hands repeatedly) to dislodge it. This was 1am last night and I got to wake up at 5am for the Stanchart Marathon. But, well, it's worth it! Too bad it has decimated my large colony of 2 yr old yellow polyps and a pink zoa before I could catch it I'm going to check all my purchases for crabs in future. They are such a pain!

[beaver]

Dear Reefers,

I am revisiting my thread, as I realised that the monster crab that I caught may not be the culprit after all. This morning, chunks of my clove coral are torn and moved to what look like a lair..of something. Not sure what could it be. This lair has bits of small rocks and empty hermit shells. The creature whatever it may be, seems to be 'collecting' softies. I am hesitant to get anymore soft corals. It decimated the whole colony of yellow polyps literallly overnight!

Short of tearing apart the tank to find the culprit, what else can be done? I don't even know what it is.