Decorator crabs

fishdudein

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On the Banks of the Wabash, Indiana
Just saw the coolest crab at the lfs today....looks amazingly like a tarantula. Takes bits of sponge, looks like maybe some halimeda algae, stuff it finds around the tank and attaches it to its exo-skeleton. LFS employee said when it molts, it will re-decorate new skeleton and look completely different. Anybody out there had experience with these? I'd like to have one, priced fairly reasonable, but don't want to run into problems down the road....thanks! :wub:
 
Decorator crabs are cool! I have one.

The plusses.
1) Nice and large.
2) Seems to eat anything
3) Never know what he will look like next.
4) Reasonably priced

Negatives
1) Nice and large. Can cause some disruptions with your smaller more delicate placed specimens.
2) seems to eat anything and everything...crabs, snails...
3)Never know what he will destroy next to place on his back.
4) mainly is a nocturnal creature, although will come out in the day to enjoy a meaty feeding.

I like mine, but I don't know if I would have one in anything much smaller than a 75 gallon.

A Sally Lightfoot is an even better choice for a large crab IMO.

GL
 
Thanks ,Great Lakes. Ever have any problems with the crab bothering your fish? Kind of concerned, mainly because of the size of the thing. I have had an arrow crab before, it would sometimes lunge at my fish, but always more or less as self defense, the fish were provoking it (damsels, clowns, dottybacks). This one is more or less the same size as the arrow crab, but "beefier" (appears to be- this may be decoration). Good to know that they're not picky eaters.
 
LOL I know what you mean about the Arrow. I had to kill one in my tank. He had a taste for peppermint and cleaner shrimp. So far the only bad thing I can say about my decorator is he can occasionally disturb placement of corals cause of his size. Other than that, he seems pretty passive.


I really have to get my crap together with my digital camera. I got a bagful of small yellow polyps a couple months ago. Right now he has about 15 of them on himself.... :lol:

GL
 
This thread jinxed me!!!!!!!!

Woke this morning to my decorator sitting stone dead on the tank floor!

Must have been old age. I have had him for over a year, so I know he was being provided a good environment.

Hr was one of the big ones. Looked like a tarantula....yuck :p

GL
 
that sucks sorry for your loss man atlest he died of old age and had a good life in a good tank imvierment
 
Sorry about your loss, Great Lakes. :/

I have an Emerald Mithrax crab. It eats all sorts of nasty bubble algae, stays small, and is really peaceful. It's another option to consider, but it is nearly completely nocturnal.
 
i`ve got two, and they are so cool.. im sure i have sumthing growing on the bigger one of the two, i small baby fan worm it looks like... hope thats good lol.. it looks like one, closes and opens like one, but i tine weeny minayure version.. looks cute actually :D
 

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