Emerald crab ? Worth the risk ?

[Radsag]

I have a lot of emerald crabs and my reef tank and they dont bother anything.

Have they kept their green color?

 

[ColorMeGone]

I ask my 2 local (1.5hr away) LFS's and one has never heard of a Pitho crab and the other says he can't get them. I'm affraid to try an Emarald crab but that's all I can get. Other wise I will have to spend about $70 to get a few Pithos with shipping. Not worth it in my book.

 

[ChrisfromBrick]

absolutely. Mine doesn’t bother anything

 

[vetteguy53081]

I really want an emerald crab to complete my CUC I have everything else I need. I’m scared that he will hurt my peaceful , big knobby brown brittle starfish and I’m scared he will pick at my coral. So, real experience , should I try it. I have a 20 gallon nano
2 baby clowns
1 blue green cromie
1 watchman goby
1 strawberry conch
The brittle star
2 turbo snails
6 astrea snails
6 nassarius snails
A Duncan (was 5, now a 9!head
A hairy mushroom (now 3 hairy mushrooms )
Fender bender cyphastria
I hammer ( growing a new branch
:) I just want the emerald crab cuz I am manually picking out small bubble algae. Just 1 at time before the grow.
Thanks guys :)

They are hard to trust. Females less risk for coral damage

 

[BristleWormHater]

I really want an emerald crab to complete my CUC I have everything else I need. I’m scared that he will hurt my peaceful , big knobby brown brittle starfish and I’m scared he will pick at my coral. So, real experience , should I try it. I have a 20 gallon nano
2 baby clowns
1 blue green cromie
1 watchman goby
1 strawberry conch
The brittle star
2 turbo snails
6 astrea snails
6 nassarius snails
A Duncan (was 5, now a 9!head
A hairy mushroom (now 3 hairy mushrooms )
Fender bender cyphastria
I hammer ( growing a new branch
:) I just want the emerald crab cuz I am manually picking out small bubble algae. Just 1 at time before the grow.
Thanks guys :)

Get a small one, female crab is best. I had two large males that both started to eat coral. Right now I have a tiny female that does it's job without bothering anything.

 

[George03]

I have 2 and they are vocacious cleaners. They went after the snail kit in no time, before they got into the sand. Other than that a complete joy to watch them. I dose hikari crustaiona and crab pellets, and so far, situation reasonably as you could expect.

 

[Barb0713]

I have 2 and they are vocacious cleaners. They went after the snail kit in no time, before they got into the sand. Other than that a complete joy to watch them. I dose hikari crustaiona and crab pellets, and so far, situation reasonably as you could expect.

Thanks I’m leaning that way now because I am tired of manually removing one bubble algae at a time every couple days in my 3 month old tank lol

 

[Barb0713]

I have 2 and they are vocacious cleaners. They went after the snail kit in no time, before they got into the sand. Other than that a complete joy to watch them. I dose hikari crustaiona and crab pellets, and so far, situation reasonably as you could expect.

Thanks. I’m sure if you can chose the sex online ? I’ll have to see. I am hours away from and LPS that would have them.

 

[Uncle99]

Trust no crab.

 

[George03]

Name is "Lefty".

 

[MoeStachio]

I really want an emerald crab to complete my CUC I have everything else I need. I’m scared that he will hurt my peaceful , big knobby brown brittle starfish and I’m scared he will pick at my coral. So, real experience , should I try it. I have a 20 gallon nano
2 baby clowns
1 blue green cromie
1 watchman goby
1 strawberry conch
The brittle star
2 turbo snails
6 astrea snails
6 nassarius snails
A Duncan (was 5, now a 9!head
A hairy mushroom (now 3 hairy mushrooms )
Fender bender cyphastria
I hammer ( growing a new branch
:) I just want the emerald crab cuz I am manually picking out small bubble algae. Just 1 at time before the grow.
Thanks guys :)

IIRC emerald crabs are super reef safe, they don't kill because they're herbivorous

Seen plenty of tanks with them and never heard of problems.

 

[nickng]

had an emerald crab that started eating a Zoa frag one day. Caught it in the act and promptly banished it to the sump.

 

[fandaga]

I only had one emerald crab, and it partially ate my neon green stylo before I banished it.

 

[REEFRIED!]

I have had a ton of emerald crabs over the years. I have only had one go rogue. And it is the most recent one. I watched him sit at the base of two different acro colonies over a week time period and claw off some tips and eat them. He is now in my sump. However my tank is a good place regarding algae and I am sure he just got super hungry. I drop some pellets in the sump for him now. But he is evicted and will never return to display!! I believe that if they are fed well they are completely fine. Great cuc herbivore addition

 

[kdx7214]

I'm a lifetime fan of reefcleaners, add a few to your next order: https://www.reefcleaners.org/aquarium-store/pitho-crab

Every time I order crabs from them 33-50% of them arrive DOA. Has that been your experience as well?

 

[TX_REEF]

Every time I order crabs from them 33-50% of them arrive DOA. Has that been your experience as well?

No, I’ve had less than 10 creatures DOA over 10 years of ordering from them. I do always choose overnight shipping though, it’s worth the peace of mind to me for $40.

 

[kdx7214]

No, I’ve had less than 10 creatures DOA over 10 years of ordering from them. I do always choose overnight shipping though, it’s worth the peace of mind to me for $40.

Hmm. I usually have them with legs all ripped off and that sort of thing, even when I choose overnight. Not sure if it's the shipping company or what.

 

[MayEye]

I've had two emerald crabs. One was nice and didn't bother anything. The other grew ginormous and would threaten me every time I put my hands in the tank. He was picking at my duncan coral every night, then started on my goniopora. My husband loved him too much so I let him remain in the tank and hand fed him to try to convince him to stop attacking my corals (he never did.)

Eventually both crabs slowed down and passed after about 9-10 months. They were cute and great at eating algae, but I'd never do it again!

 

[Crabs+Shrimps-69]

I ask my 2 local (1.5hr away) LFS's and one has never heard of a Pitho crab and the other says he can't get them. I'm affraid to try an Emarald crab but that's all I can get. Other wise I will have to spend about $70 to get a few Pithos with shipping. Not worth it in my book.

Maybe order other animals when ordering the pitho crabs?

 

[ColorMeGone]

Maybe order other animals when ordering the pitho crabs?

My tank is to small for as many critters as they want to send for a CUC. Not sure what I am going to do just yet? I can get a Emerald crab any time but have my doubts about them doing the correct job and not munching on my corals and bothering my Acans on the sand bed.