Tiny orange crab inside Elegance Coral

[Rockytop_Reefer]

Hey guys,

I always dip my corals but it looks like a hitchhiker that made it past my defenses. A few days after putting this elegance coral into my tank I noticed a weird indention.

I gave it a closer look and noticed a tiny crab with fluorescent orange legs. I tried to remove him with tweezers but he’d retreat deep into the tissue. I left it alone for a few months and no harm came to the elegance. It looked great so I figured it was just a commensal relationship.
But one day I came in and saw my elegance deflated with both mouths agape and that’s when I noticed he had left his indention and moved into the mouth of the coral. I knew this would be bad if left alone but it gave me the opportunity to finally grab him with tweezers.

Under tank lights his legs are bright orange but under standard lights not so much. So based on its behavior I assume it’s a Gall Crab but I’ve never seen one that wasn’t an ugly brown. Anyone else have any experience or more info about them?

 

[samnaz]

looks just like the Gall crab in the third photo on this page:
https://www.lionfishlair.com/hitchhikers-guide/cryptochiridae/

 

[Marlon C]

Did the elegance survive

 

[.O KASEI O.]

Found one in my elegance today. Looked at my tank with the lights barely on to check on a newly split nem. It quickly caught my eye since the elegance was retracted to its base. I then quickly grabbed it before it could burrow back in. Did a lil injury to the coral since this guy was not leaving easily.