Gall crab in my trachy? Friend or foe?

[nim6us]

So one of the reasons I love/hate this hobby is unexpected surprises. I recently picked up my first trachyphyllia and when I put it in QT I noticed an odd sight, it looked like something was living inside a small hole! This coral did a 10 minute dip in CoralRx earlier that day so whatever it is survived that.

I was able to get some video and I think it's a gall crab.. maybe. Bear in mind this coral is 3-4 inches across, which means the hole this crab is in is about the size of a pencil eraser. Can anyone comment on what it is? Also if it's not hurting the coral I'd prefer not to kill it, does it pose any danger?

 

[Jeffcb]

Idk what that is but its a cool video. I'll bump it for you.

 

[nim6us]

Yeah I really am fascinated with him very cool!

 

[fishguy242]

i just pulled this up,nice trachy..
Gall crabs are coral-dwelling crabs that spend their entire life living inside a hole of the hard coral. These micro crabs are only 7mm-10mm in size. They are hard to find and photograph due to their small size. These tiny crabs are considered to be safe keepers or guardians of the hard coral.
it was on the internet ,gotta be true...

 

[nim6us]

Crab guardians of coral! Sounds like a Marvel movie.