Anyone able to identify this crab?

Reef Junky150 · Apr 14, 2016

Found it years ago. Lives in my refugium now. Was loosing fish so I tore tank down to catch it after seeing it in the dark walking around in the tank one night. It never went into any of the traps I used for other inhabitants in the past. Haven't lost a fish since.

It is White/purple/redish with yellow to Orange hairy legs. Black claws.

Brewman1987 · Apr 14, 2016

Looks like a gorilla crab judging by the black claw tips.

Reef Junky150 · Apr 14, 2016

Nasty thing. Lost a lot of cuc and about 4 fish. Couldn't figure out why until I saw it one night. Couldn't trap it so I ended up tearing all the rock out. Still couldn't find it until that night it was running around. Left it for the next morning to get it out and it was gone. Poked the sand bed with a dowel rod and found it hurried itself. Biggest pia hitchhiker I've ever had.

Naiad · Apr 14, 2016

I would guess a rock crab. Knowing location could help with specific species id.

Oscaror · Apr 14, 2016

+1 looks like a gorilla crab. Keep it in the fuge, no need to harm it where it can't damage anything.

Reef Junky150 · Apr 14, 2016

Naiad said:
I would guess a rock crab. Knowing location could help with specific species id.

Location in reef tank, or my physical location?

Naiad · Apr 14, 2016

Location the rock was harvested from. Was this gulf live rock, tonga, ect.

killingseed2000 · Apr 14, 2016

looks like that one that ate many of my high end zoa's. evil , he knew which ones cost me the most.

Reef Junky150 · Apr 14, 2016

Naiad said:
Location the rock was harvested from. Was this gulf live rock, tonga, ect.

Fiji live rock with tonga, obtained some rock from a local for free and suspect it Hitchiked then since I had no issues the previous 9 years or so until I found it. Not sure what the rock was I obtained other than looked a lot like my Fiji and and very porus and lots of holes.