Emerald crab question (video)

[ahiggins]

so I just bought an emerald crab and he's been taking care of a frag that had hair algae on it. Tonight I found him picking at a polyp but I can't tell if it's the algae growing on the polyp or the actual polyp itself. Can anyone help me?

 

[Josett Waid]

We have a emerald crab in our 50 gallon in an effort for it to eat our bubble algae, now we have a zoa in the 50 gallon and the emerald crab has never done any harm to it. I've read that emerald crabs could possibly harm some corals so it can happen.. I would just watch the crab and the coral and see if there is any visible signs of damage to the coral. If there is visible signs then you'll have to take a next step from there.

 

[nanoreefer14]

He may just be eating the algae. Hard to tell. But the first and last experience i had with emerald crabs, they ate an entire colony of fruit loop zoas. Then they eventually died from eating a few paly toxicas.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Well you'll know if the zoa is gone.
My rule of thumb. crabs can't be trusted.
If it's eating algae right now go with that.
Watch the alge population and count zoas too. But lest not condemn the crab yet.
Once the algae is gone ish. Start feeding the crab.
Keep doing that.

I bet you won't lose zoas. But count them from time to time.

There're peaceful creatures for the most part I'v had a couple great ones.
Eventually you may beable to hand feed. Or spot feed.

They IME pick all day at stuff and nibble but eventually they like the daily meal. But also still pick.

They do have good and bad personalities IMO.

I've never had one eat bubble alge. That I've seen. Even at first.

 

[ahiggins]

:) thanks

 

[ahiggins]

Well, this morning I woke up and checked the plug he was eating off of. A whole polyp is gone >.<
Looks like hes going back to the lfs

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

:(

 

[ahiggins]

Although I do wonder if that polyp was just a goner anyway...it hadnt opened in a while.

 

[Brew12]

Although I do wonder if that polyp was just a goner anyway...it hadnt opened in a while.

That is the hard part to determine. Was the head melting because it was irritated by algae growing around it or was it the animal eating the zoa. I never can tell. I haven't seen any of my fish or crabs eat around a zoa that didn't also have algae around it.

 

[nosmok]

In my experience, they will pick a frag clean of algae and any other detritus. Whenever I added a new plug to my biocube, they sensed it was new and in a few days it was cleaned. Unfortunately once they had cleaned my minireef, they ran out of a food supply and died. I know now to feed them.

 

[Triggreef]

In my experience, they will pick a frag clean of algae and any other detritus. Whenever I added a new plug to my biocube, they sensed it was new and in a few days it was cleaned. Unfortunately once they had cleaned my minireef, they ran out of a food supply and died. I know now to feed them.

This. also occasionally they will tug at them and could easily pop on off the plug here or there which will float away. Sometimes I've seen this happen just from the crab pulling at algae that would break off and pull out a polyp.

 

[ahiggins]

This. also occasionally they will tug at them and could easily pop on off the plug here or there which will float away. Sometimes I've seen this happen just from the crab pulling at algae that would break off and pull out a polyp.

Thats exactly what hes doing in the video. That polyp that he was pulling at was gone the next morning.
Unfortunately I found about a half dollar size colony of bubble algae in my DT so I may put him and that piece of rock into QT. Is that the best way to get rid of bubble algae? From what Ive been reading...that or manually pulling it off. I would be worried that I would accidentally pop one and it will infest my tank!

 

[Triggreef]

It's just water inside the bubbles there's no proof that it works that way as far as spreading. My tangs keep the bubble algae at bay in my tank. The crabs help get it from the spots the tangs can't. It's always in the overflows etc so it can't be eliminated from the system by cuc.

Also anything that eats it is popping the bubbles.

 

[RobBaglieri]

I think that emerald crabs are not very bright. The pick at anything in their reach to see if it is a yummy vegetable. I have seen them peck, pull and probe everything in my tank. I have never seen them injure anything.

 

[CheckeredPants]

If you can remove the rock with the bubble algae on it, take a tooth brush and an RO dip and be rid of it.

I like emeralds. I had a red and green together. They fought every time I fed the tank. Such cool guys to watch if they're comfy enough to roam the tank!

 

[mta_morrow]

I feed my emerald regularly. forceps and a small piece of seaweed. He now knows when I feed the fish, if he comes out he will get fed too! So much fun!