The Red Claw of Death!

davidcalgary29

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While watching the pacific scene in my IM40 at lunch, I saw the tail of my sand-sifting goby wiggle in a cave. "How cute!", I thought. "It's exploring!". After a few minutes, though, I began to get concerned. It wasn't moving! Was it caught? Well, yes -- by a predator! The front half was pretty well chewed up when I pulled it out with tweezers (the corpse went to my mini-maxi carpet), and I couldn't tell what had done it, but I saw movement in the cave. After a while, a red claw poked out. It was sort of rounded, and not pointed, and looked like a lobster claw. I certainly didn't put anything like that in my tank, but if there is a something, it would certainly explain the disappearance of a royal gramma and a peppermint shrimp. Any thoughts? Couldn't get a pic today.
 

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Had a clear pistol shrimp for 2 decades. Before a remodel trapped it in his live rock. He ate tons of tank inhabitants over the years
 
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davidcalgary29

davidcalgary29

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I haven't heard any unusual clicking or banging noises coming from the tank, so I wasn't previously alerted to the fact that something might be lurking in my tank. I've noticed that the rest of the fish are avoiding that cave now...
 
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davidcalgary29

davidcalgary29

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Glimpsed it again; its claw is red with wite dots or, possibly, stripes. It sort of looks like a porcelain crab claw, except for its size and colour.
 

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does it look like this?
 

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davidcalgary29

davidcalgary29

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No, both parts of the claw are serrated or toothed. It's also a deeper red (and I think it does have stripes). Pics coming asap!
 
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davidcalgary29

davidcalgary29

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Or a hitchhiker lobster.
Time for another tank. Lol
D
I'm up to five in seven months, so no. :)

The (insert arthropod) has become tired of its celebrity and has retreated into its hidey hole for now. I took a look at my porcelain crab, and am wrong about similarities: this red claw was again much more rounded, more robust, and serrated. I gave the remains of the goby to the elegance coral.
 

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Not if it chews up the rest of my tank! Some of my fish have suffered weird injuries over the past few weeks...this could be the cause.
I mean not for you, but my own curiosities :)
No one wants to lose a fish or coral to a monster crab/lobster
 
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davidcalgary29

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I'm going to lurk around the tank as soon as the lights go out. That reef lobster is beautiful, but the red/white pattern on this claw is much more distinct. The end of the claw is also rounder. I've been googling images of crab claws, but haven't been able to find one like it.
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

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