Electric Flame Scallop Commensalism

[Hyprviperx]

Has anyone seen an Electric Flame Scallop host a crab? It looks like a neopetrolisthes anemone crab(white w/tiny red dots and lines, almost maze-like), but it doesn't seem to have the large front claws (could be from a recent fight/ or molt) but my girlfriend noticed it this morning. He was really open and lighting it up and i had her come look and she was able to crouch down at a better angle and she saw it. he wasnt scuttling (which is what he does if i bother him with the magni-float) or anything so he didnt seem aggrivated just open and going off with the electricity. Please could someone offer any info?

 

[skinz78]

Very cool, I haven't ever seen this before, but I do know that clams host shrimp and small crabs at times. I have always steered clear of Flame Scallops because they are unfortunately one of the critters that are available that should be left in the ocean. We cannot supply them with the food that they need and from what I have heard they only last 4 months max in our tanks.

 

[m and m]

Very cool, I haven't ever seen this before, but I do know that clams host shrimp and small crabs at times. I have always steered clear of Flame Scallops because they are unfortunately one of the critters that are available that should be left in the ocean. We cannot supply them with the food that they need and from what I have heard they only last 4 months max in our tanks.

My LFS bring in a bunch ever week and sells them and i think the same thing its sad acualy. To the OP Thats pretty cool.

 

[JR's Reef]

Looks like a gall crab but its hard to tell from the pic

 

[m and m]

I would say gall aswell, but i have onll seen one in person and thats not the clearest picture.

 

[MimicOcto8]

very cool dude. please see if you can't get a better/clearer person i'm joing the Gallcrab crowd. How long have you had your scallop?

 

[Hyprviperx]

heres a video of it [video=youtube;ji1flyns91M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji1flyns91M[/video]

 

[Paul_N]

Excellent video! Thanks for sharing. I have a shrimp inside my large maxima clam but can never get a pic of it.

 

[skinz78]

Pretty cool, I haven't ever seen a Electric Scallop do it's thing before, I have only seen regular Flames.

 

[Hyprviperx]

thanks, im glad to post, still new at it. i got really lucky because of the way he happened to be positioned. im glad i finally have something to post of worth haha

 

[RogerWilco357]

how long have you had this ? Maybe they only last 4 months or so because they need to be visited by the crab or host maybe they feed the clam somehow with it's by products or waste? never know nice pic hope it out last the 4 month period.

 

[Hyprviperx]

i hope it does too... i hopefully can feed it what it needs, i alternate my feedings between reef nutrition, reef caviar, PE mysis, cyclopeze, live Reef pods (copepods), live tigger pods, and DT's live phytoplankton (spot fed to the corals and scallop), selcon, and kent garlic as additives (Garlics not a regular thing more of a matinence.

 

[nut deep]

tight work !!!!!!

 

[droblack]

Loving the electricity!

 

[Captain Nemo]

WOW cool!! I have never seen this before! Great video too!!!

 

[nut deep]

cool

 

[Blueshorts]

That is really cool. I think people could definitely keep flame scallops alive if given conditions like NPS tanks, in nature I think their life spans are around 2 years anyway.

 

[Hyprviperx]

i think that the little crab might be a pea crab due to its behavior, but i checked a bunch of taxonomy web sites and i google imaged every one and none match phenotypically... the only thing that resembles it is an anemone crab minus the claw ( not the porcelain, which are already in the tank)... most say it is commensal although 2 say it can be parasitic if there is a lack of food, or if it damages the gills of the scallop.

 

[nut deep]

scallop

 

[Hyprviperx]

so i finally figured it out what kind of crab it was............. and the winner is PINNOTHERIDAE PEA CRAB Crab Hitch Hikers its towards the bottom. the top of my crab is more reddish but it looks exactly the same including the little mohawk.