How to get rid of this acro eating crab!!

[livinlifeinBKK]

I've been aware for a while that I have a few hitchhiker crabs that made their way into my tank but I just got my first tenuis frag today and caught one of the crabs picking at it after lights out! I didn't know they'd do that! How can I get rid of them? I have a few...

 

[Eagle_Steve]

I've been aware for a while that I have a few hitchhiker crabs that made their way into my tank but I just got my first tenuis frag today and caught one of the crabs picking at it after lights out! I didn't know they'd do that! How can I get rid of them? I have a few...

I have success removing crabs received in live rock with 2 DIY options, if a hypersalinity dip doesnt get them.

Bottle trap, if crabs are small enough to enter the mouth of the bottle. Cut top part off bottle, invert it to where the bottle top is now inside the bottle body, drop a few dabs of super glue to hold it, drill a few small holes all around it (air can escape, as can smell), put a piece of shrimp in there and set in tank. Crab crawls in to get shrimp and cannot get back out.

Bowl traps. A bowl trap is where you take a small glass bowl, build a little ramp up to it with rock rubble or something, put a piece of shrimp in the bottom of the bowl and then crab gets in and cannot get out. Bowl does have to be tall enough for crab to not climb out. While I say bowl, there are some small tupperware containers that wok great as they are 2x2 square, but 3" tall. Those work great and do not take up much room.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

I have success removing crabs received in live rock with 2 DIY options, if a hypersalinity dip doesnt get them.

Bottle trap, if crabs are small enough to enter the mouth of the bottle. Cut top part off bottle, invert it to where the bottle top is now inside the bottle body, drop a few dabs of super glue to hold it, drill a few small holes all around it (air can escape, as can smell), put a piece of shrimp in there and set in tank. Crab crawls in to get shrimp and cannot get back out.

Bowl traps. A bowl trap is where you take a small glass bowl, build a little ramp up to it with rock rubble or something, put a piece of shrimp in the bottom of the bowl and then crab gets in and cannot get out. Bowl does have to be tall enough for crab to not climb out. While I say bowl, there are some small tupperware containers that wok great as they are 2x2 square, but 3" tall. Those work great and do not take up much room.

How much space does that take though? I have a 10 gallon nano

 

[Tsquared]

I had one I could not trap. I glued a nail on the end of a dowel rod. I lured the crab out with raw shrimp and speared it.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

If I have to stand guard all night those little jerks aren't gonna eat my first tenuis!

 

[Eagle_Steve]

How much space does that take though? I have a 10 gallon nano

Bottle trap can be cut down to not much.

Bowl or tupperware trap can only be a couple inches square.

Also, the bottle trap can be set anywhere as long as the opening is accessible. I like to set mine so that the entrance is at the rocks and the bottom is on the sand.

To make a bottle trap smaller, just remove more of the body.

In the google random image below, I have added a red triangle to show that you could cut some more of the body of the bottle off and then slide the top in more. You just need to make sure that there is room from the opening to the end for the crab to get down into the body of the bottle.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

I had one I could not trap. I glued a nail on the end of a dowel rod. I lured the crab out with raw shrimp and speared it.

That is an option also lol. In the past, I have just smashed a crab to pieces in the hole it was in. The fish loved the pieces floating around lol.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Bottle trap can be cut down to not much.

Bowl or tupperware trap can only be a couple inches square.

Also, the bottle trap can be set anywhere as long as the opening is accessible. I like to set mine so that the entrance is at the rocks and the bottom is on the sand.

To make a bottle trap smaller, just remove more of the body.

In the google random image below, I have added a red triangle to show that you could cut some more of the body of the bottle off and then slide the top in more. You just need to make sure that there is room from the opening to the end for the crab to get down into the body of the bottle.

I might give that a try tomorrow....thanks for the diagram!!