Lazy Crabs

[cactusreef]

I have a pitho crab and two emerald crabs and they don’t do anything. My pitho crab comes out for a few hours a week and is buried the rest of the time. I put in two tiny emerald crabs about a month ago and have never seen them again. I have one more on the way.

Anyone else deal with this? Are pitho crabs this commonly shy/inactive? “Crab time” has become a saying in my house. Similar to “island time.”

 

[Sam7]

Most crabs and cleanup crew are worthless at best imo....but with your hand and a brush and a vaccum you can do so much more and way more efficient

 

[Sam7]

I have a pitho crab and two emerald crabs and they don’t do anything. My pitho crab comes out for a few hours a week and is buried the rest of the time. I put in two tiny emerald crabs about a month ago and have never seen them again. I have one more on the way.

Anyone else deal with this? Are pitho crabs this commonly shy/inactive? “Crab time” has become a saying in my house. Similar to “island time.”

i had two pithos that if i didnt hand feed them everyday they would just starve because ther are lazy or ignorance i dont know. Finally they did .....lol well i assume because they died and i didnt want to hand feed them.

 

[BriDroid]

My experience with pithos and emeralds is exactly the same. The only difference is that emeralds only live a few months for me. Pithos always stay in the sand and neither touch bubble algae. I’ve had 5 different pithos and 7 different emeralds so far (currently one tiny emerald that came on a SPS frag and is still alive).

 

[Baldyreef]

Most crabs and cleanup crew are worthless at best imo....but with your hand and a brush and a vaccum you can do so much more and way more efficient

i agree the only non freeloaders ive ever had are my hermits and a hitchiker gorilla crab that ripped my toadstool leather

 

[Sam7]

We need vendors that will stop using the same picture and discription about every fish and invert and stop selling just to sell. Most of this snail ,crab, bs is out of control. Dont even get me started on our shrimp only eat or will eat aiptasia haha

 

[serval]

I tried five different pithos and none lived very long and they seemed “lazy” or uninterested at best. Maybe they hated my tank?
I also had a long lived Mithrax ruby crab who definitely was active, eating stuff and probably ate some algae. But it developed a taste for LPS polyps and I had to evict him.

I think the blue legged hermits are sorta useful as they continually pick at the rocks.
As a group, I find crabs to be problematic and not great in a display. They’re amazing animals as they’re completely opportunistic and great survivors (well, except the pithos).

I have to agree with the comment that human hands with tools do a better job.

 

[Sam7]

Dont get me wrong guys i was fooled long time ago too. Now i only use my hand crab and my Tony the tiger tooth brush and he is GRRREAT!!!

 

[Marco_99]

Bro we’re out here grinding our claws off just to be verbally abused, i mean there are only so many hours in the day what do they want from us ? Clean this mess up in a day?

 

[Sam7]

Bro we’re out here grinding our claws off just to be verbally abused, i mean there are only so many hours in the day what do they want from us ? Clean this mess up in a day?

If they could earn there keep in a year it would be nice lol

 

[Marco_99]

Buy from Reef Cleaners

 

[Sam7]

Buy from Reef Cleaners

seriously...in my experience with them they are worse than petco

 

[DmitryB]

Yeah I got least a dozen emeralds and several pithos (pithi) and I have not noticed bubble algae disappearing at all.

I think Peppermints did eat aptasia at first, but seem to have gotten lazy. Perhaps because they get other food in the tank.

 

[cactusreef]

I do have to say that my peppermint shrimp is a beast and absolutely will not let any aptasia into my tank. Credit where credit is due.

 

[serval]

I tried five different pithos and none lived very long and they seemed “lazy” or uninterested at best. Maybe they hated my tank?
I also had a long lived Mithrax ruby crab who definitely was active, eating stuff and probably ate some algae. But it developed a taste for LPS polyps and I had to evict him.

I think the blue legged hermits are sorta useful as they continually pick at the rocks.
As a group, I find crabs to be problematic and not great in a display. They’re amazing animals as they’re completely opportunistic and great survivors (well, except the pithos).

I have to agree with the comment that human hands with tools do a better job.

I’d add that my favorite crabs are not really “cleaners” in the classic sense. Porcelain crabs! They don’t bother anybody; they stay partially under things, just filter feeding their little hearts out. Apparently they (or some of them?) will sacrifice their big claw, which looks impressive, but it is a trade! A bribe! I’ll give you my claw if you leave now and don’t kill me. Wow.

 

[BryanM]

I had an emerald and some form of red crab, both were quite active, but when they ran out of easy to find algae, they went for the cynarina, both were rehomed