Crab issue

Garrick · Jan 11, 2010

I am not, morally, opposed to crabs. I know a lot of people are snail purists, saying that crabs are opportunists, but the little army of hermits I have seem to be harmless enough.
The issue I have is with a decorator crab which came with my live rock. When he showed up, I was a bit wary. He was never what I'd call a small crab. Long, gangly legs connected to a body the size of a quarter when he made his first appearance, he has grown.
And last night he grabbed my new pipe organ frag, carried it into a dark hole in the rock, and abused it horribly.
This morning I caught him still at his grim work and tried to retrieve the frag, though he shook his claws at my fingers angrily and I was forced to pull out the big guns.
I jabbed at him with a toothpick.
Which he confiscated from me.
Then I used a swizzle stick, which annoyed him enough for him to release the frag, though in truth he may have just been bored.
So the question now is, what do I do?
I've got a ton of little crabs I could trap out of the tank, if I wanted to, but what can I do about the big one? He stays back in the rock work most of the time so netting is problematic.
He is too big to trap.
He has ignored every written warning I have sent.
And, honestly, I don't want to kill him.
He didn't ask to be here and he is probably not doing it to be a jerk.
If I could get him out, I'd drop him in the sump until I could find a good home for him, but I have no idea how to do it without harming him. Or letting him harm me.
He has wicked-looking little claws.

I've never been so happy to not be a pipe organ frag.
I must also confess that I thought, briefly, about putting him in the pool filter to freak out the pool guy.

I'd appreciate suggestions on catching this monster.

Thanks,

Garrick

wicked demon · Jan 11, 2010

Garrick said:
I am not, morally, opposed to crabs. I know a lot of people are snail purists, saying that crabs are opportunists, but the little army of hermits I have seem to be harmless enough.
The issue I have is with a decorator crab which came with my live rock. When he showed up, I was a bit wary. He was never what I'd call a small crab. Long, gangly legs connected to a body the size of a quarter when he made his first appearance, he has grown.
And last night he grabbed my new pipe organ frag, carried it into a dark hole in the rock, and abused it horribly.
This morning I caught him still at his grim work and tried to retrieve the frag, though he shook his claws at my fingers angrily and I was forced to pull out the big guns.
I jabbed at him with a toothpick.
Which he confiscated from me.
Then I used a swizzle stick, which annoyed him enough for him to release the frag, though in truth he may have just been bored.
So the question now is, what do I do?
I've got a ton of little crabs I could trap out of the tank, if I wanted to, but what can I do about the big one? He stays back in the rock work most of the time so netting is problematic.
He is too big to trap.
He has ignored every written warning I have sent.
And, honestly, I don't want to kill him.
He didn't ask to be here and he is probably not doing it to be a jerk.
If I could get him out, I'd drop him in the sump until I could find a good home for him, but I have no idea how to do it without harming him. Or letting him harm me.
He has wicked-looking little claws.

I've never been so happy to not be a pipe organ frag.
I must also confess that I thought, briefly, about putting him in the pool filter to freak out the pool guy.

I'd appreciate suggestions on catching this monster.

Thanks,

Garrick

lol!!! thorough abuse, written warnings, little jerk!! I cannot stop laughing, bummer man!
I have seen acryllic fish traps big enough to do the job, but I find the easiest approach is to take the rock it is on out of the tank, they usually hold on for dear life, then just pry it off and put the rock back.