I have a hefty gorilla crab currently living in a 7gal with about 10 pounds of live rock. It's grown from a bit over an inch across to a 1" carapace and over a 3" legspan on pretty minimal feeding. I want to break down the tank, so I'm planning to move it into the (large) back compartment of my reef tank, with a lid so it can't climb out. Both so it has a home, and so it can eat any not-fully-soaked food that gets back there and would otherwise just rot.
How much food does a crab this size need? I'm going to put some rock back there for it to hide in, but I doubt it'll find enough stuff on there to eat. It's a spine-back hairy crab, and this is around maximum size for them, at that 1" carapace width and some nasty claws. They're a gorilla-type crab, and my understanding of their diet is "anything that is or has recently been alive and can be subdued", though this one has been ignoring a couple of stony corals and some clams on the rock. It'd mostly be getting mysis from the fish food, and I can supplement with either normal pellets or veggie pellets if needed.
Has anyone experimented with making anything like a refugium in a back filtration compartment? I'm considering putting a bright light over the compartment (with plenty of shade for the crab) to try and grow algae and such, in hopes that some copepods will make it through the pump and in order to provide the crab with veggies.
How much food does a crab this size need? I'm going to put some rock back there for it to hide in, but I doubt it'll find enough stuff on there to eat. It's a spine-back hairy crab, and this is around maximum size for them, at that 1" carapace width and some nasty claws. They're a gorilla-type crab, and my understanding of their diet is "anything that is or has recently been alive and can be subdued", though this one has been ignoring a couple of stony corals and some clams on the rock. It'd mostly be getting mysis from the fish food, and I can supplement with either normal pellets or veggie pellets if needed.
Has anyone experimented with making anything like a refugium in a back filtration compartment? I'm considering putting a bright light over the compartment (with plenty of shade for the crab) to try and grow algae and such, in hopes that some copepods will make it through the pump and in order to provide the crab with veggies.