Coral Destroyer Crab

[Zakary2003]

I recently posted about a concerning decline in my reef tank corals with seemingly no cause. My parameters have always been good and stable for the most part. I was very confused because an entire colony of 12+ rasta zoanthids and a smaller frag with 3 polyps disappeared overnight, but that was just the most recent case of mysterious coral decline. Well, I decided to look around with the lights on red and found this guy munching on my candycane coral, and I think he is the culprit. I turned on the UV channel and sure enough, he was taking large florescent chunks of tissue off the coral and eating it.That is the coral closest to the disappeared zoa colony. He has already been removed from the tank and disposed of as humanly as possible, but I am wondering what he was. He must have come in on my liverock from Florida, or I guess he could have survived my coral RX and hyposalinity dips. Can anyone id it? I know the pictures aren't great.

 

[Midrats]

Perhaps a red mithrax. I have had a few come on Florida rock but never had any problems with them. I feed a lot, maybe that's why they leave my coral alone. They do destroy bubble algae for me.

 

[The_Paradox]

Looks a little like a juvenile male king crab. You have a better picture if the carapace?

 

[Zakary2003]

Looks a little like a juvenile male king crab. You have a better picture if the carapace?

Those are the only two pictures I have. Aren't king crabs cold water?

 

[Zakary2003]

Perhaps a red mithrax. I have had a few come on Florida rock but never had any problems with them. I feed a lot, maybe that's why they leave my coral alone. They do destroy bubble algae for me.

I have a red mythrax crab. He's an absolutely character. This guy doesn't look quite like him. Smaller claws, bigger carapace, more of a pattern.

 

[Zakary2003]

Looks a little like a juvenile male king crab. You have a better picture if the carapace?

A quick Google search does show he has a very similar body shape though. Slightly different pattern and less spikes, but possibly a close relative.

 

[The_Paradox]

Those are the only two pictures I have. Aren't king crabs cold water?

We have them all over here. Known colloquially as Caribbean King Crab.

 

[kjkszpj9]

Looks like some kind of spider crab by its appearence to me.