Please ID Mr. Crabs

[kevgib67]

Noticed this little guy this afternoon, tried to net it but it went under the rock. Any clue? Looking at the claws I think most likely a future sump crab, @ISpeakForTheSeas ?

 

[JGT]

Big, meaty claws. Sump him. Catching him can be tricky. I use the glass tilted with a piece of shrimp successfully with crabs.

 

[kevgib67]

Big, meaty claws. Sump him. Catching him can be tricky. I use the glass tilted with a piece of shrimp successfully with crabs.

Thanks , figured some type of crab trap,

 

[Privateye]

It's tough to say from the video, but I'm leaning towards Florida stone crab. They can be kind of purple post-molt. The mouthparts look a little bigger than I'm used to seeing, but I think I see bands on the legs. That would strongly suggest a Florida stone crab.

If that's what it is, beware of keeping it anywhere. They will move things around in your tank, and they are famous for smashing things in your sump like heaters and sensors.

They're punks, but I have a lot of respect for them. They're smarter than your average crab.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

Pickle em!

 

[kevgib67]

It's tough to say from the video, but I'm leaning towards Florida stone crab. They can be kind of purple post-molt. The mouthparts look a little bigger than I'm used to seeing, but I think I see bands on the legs. That would strongly suggest a Florida stone crab.

If that's what it is, beware of keeping it anywhere. They will move things around in your tank, and they are famous for smashing things in your sump like heaters and sensors.

They're punks, but I have a lot of respect for them. They're smarter than your average crab.

Thanks I’ll rethink the sump and consider the dinner plate!

 

[Reef Jedi]

Noticed this little guy this afternoon, tried to net it but it went under the rock. Any clue? Looking at the claws I think most likely a future sump crab, @ISpeakForTheSeas ?

Looks like a Juvenal stone crab. Catch it and sump it. Use a glass trick to catch it. If you need more help PM me, I’ve caught a bunch of them over the years and currently have a sump monster of my own.

 

[kevgib67]

Looks like a Juvenal stone crab. Catch it and sump it. Use a glass trick to catch it. If you need more help PM me, I’ve caught a bunch of them over the years and have currently have a sump monster of my own I’ve kept.

Thank you, will do!

 

[Privateye]

Be respectful of their power when they get big. A large adult's crusher claw can exert about 20,000-40,000 PSI, which is about 10 times stronger than an alligator bite.

They use these claws to crush live oysters and eat them, so they will eat clams and stuff.

 

[Reef Jedi]

Be respectful of their power when they get big. A large adult's crusher claw can exert about 20,000-40,000 PSI, which is about 10 times stronger than an alligator bite.

They use these claws to crush live oysters and eat them, so they will eat clams and stuff.

On this note, I buy live clams from the local grocery store and drop it in the sump to feed mine. I’ll randomly net all of the crushed shells in the sump to clean up his mess. I supplement with frozen silversides in between fresh clam feedings.

I think in another molt or two he’ll get big enough he could get out of the sump. So at that point my LFS said they’ll take him. The pictures are hard to tell size but he’s bigger than it seems. So far I’ve been lucky he hasn’t crushed any cords but he absolutely could.

 

[Crabs McJones]

Mr. Crabs is my father please just call me Crabs

 

[jermzisurmom]

Yeah looks like a stone crab to me, mine lives in the sump with coral and macro algae just fine!!

 

[kevgib67]

Thanks everyone, seems to be the consensus, I suppose its claws will eventually get the classic black tips. Just need to get him out, it will be my first sump monster, very exciting.

 

[Privateye]

The ironic part (pretty cool for you guys) is you can't legally own them in Florida. Possessing anything other than legal claws is a crime. You can't even have a leg of one. Once they're caught and declawed, they must be returned to the water. They have the ability to regrow their claws.

But it's just a state law, and when they're tiny they can hitchhike on live rock. So people in states where they are not found can keep them, but even though they're native to here we can't.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Noticed this little guy this afternoon, tried to net it but it went under the rock. Any clue? Looking at the claws I think most likely a future sump crab, @ISpeakForTheSeas ?

I'm late, but yeah, definitely not a safe crab; juvenile Florida Stone Crab seems a very solis guess from what I can see in the video.

 

[kevgib67]

Well I guess I screwed up, just 4 nassarius and 1 bumblebee snail in my snail trap. Need to make some changes to convert it into a crab trap. I’ll keep you updated!