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Let's play "What the HECK is that!"

mfisher2112

mfisher2112

Ready? I found the "midnight marauder". This thing is the size of a silver dollar, not counting his gi-normous claws and hairy legs.

Let's play....

WHAT THE HECK IS THAT!

evil2.jpg
 
MikeNapoli

MikeNapoli

Doesn't look like something you should keep in your tank. I would take it out and give it to an LFS or a Trigger Tank.
 
M

mladencovic

It is very difficult to tell what kind of crab it is, from that angle. Even if it is very small now (1/2", right ?), and seem to be scavenging in the sand right now, it could be a potential problem. I would try to capture it and keep it isolated until you determine what species it is. Try baiting it with different types of food (meaty shrimp, algae, brine shrimp, formula 1/2) to determine what this crab might like the most and where it would look for food.
 
Phyl

Phyl

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
I hope you had the spear (or Henkel knife) handy! That's how I addressed mine. Gorilla enough, IMHO. Yeah, that's the type of crab that was taking out my anthias (who would huddle unassumingly against the rock to sleep).
 
mfisher2112

mfisher2112

His body is at least the size of a silver dollar, not counting the legs and claws. He's HUGE.

I got him to come out last night with mysis shrimp and squid chunks from my frozen foods.

I'm going to try feeding him like that a couple of days and see if I can get him used to it. He came out pretty far from under the rock to eat when I took that picture. He was between two rocks, though, so I could only get a profile shot, couldn't get a good head on shot of him.

I definitely need to get him out because I think he is what has taken out my clam, shrimp, and the other fish. He hasn't gotten to my clowns I think because they sleep at the top of the tank, not the bottom. Everything else slept close to the bottom near the rocks.

Believe me, if I could get him with a kitchen knife right now, I would! He's desimated my tank.

But, if I capture him, I probably won't have the heart to murder him. He's only doing what mother nature told him to. It isn't really his fault his rock got picked to be shipped to me and put in my big glass box. I wonder if he would live in my sump? Hmm...
 
mynd

mynd

Why kill him? He ate 300 dollars in fish.. He is worth a lot now. :) heh... That think looks mean as hell. Good luck getting him.. Please post your progress as video footage. I could win 10,000 dollars on AFV. No seriously.. Good luck!
 
mfisher2112

mfisher2112

Yeah, no kidding. His eyes are alot redder than that picture does justice. And he's hungry because there are no fish or shrimp left that he can catch, so he came out with a quickness when I shot the shrimp and squid in near his hole.

Can anybody recomend a trap that might work for him? I can't imagine trying to chase him around my tank with a net. He'll just dive under the rocks, and I REALLY don't want to take the rockwork apart...
 
Phyl

Phyl

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
The inverted soda bottle top stuffed into the soda bottle should work. A big hunk (not small pieces) of a coctail shrimp in the back of a soda bottle. He'll crawl in and won't be able to get back out. Put some string around the neck and yank when he gets in.

We had tried and tried to catch ours, but there he was one day sunbathing and I acted quickly. He darted back into the rock, but the hole wasn't quite deep enough and I managed to get him. I wasn't losing any more fish to him. When I told John I got him he was all excited thinking that the trap had work. I laughed and told him about the kitchen knife.
 
J

jazzsam

If you can feed him just put the net in there and feed on the net and then pull up fast. (That is kinda how I used to go crabbing in the marsh)
 
mfisher2112

mfisher2112

I think I might be a little slow on the uptake today. I don't get the soda bottle thing. Do you cut the top off and flip it and shove it back into the bottle?
 
mfisher2112

mfisher2112

jazzsam said:
If you can feed him just put the net in there and feed on the net and then pull up fast. (That is kinda how I used to go crabbing in the marsh)
Click to expand...

I don't know if I can get him to come out far enough for that. He comes right to the edge of those rocks and sticks his claws out, catches the food, and shoves it under his belly. When he has a big enough pile, he starts eating from under the rocks. I really started feeding him last night because he was stalking one of the hermit hit-squad, so I figured he was getting hungry since it's been a few weeks since he took out my scopas, so he probably hasn't eaten well recently, which would explain his brazen appearance.
 
Phyl

Phyl

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
Yes. The use zip ties to hold the top third or quarter inside of the bottle.
 
MikeNapoli

MikeNapoli

You may need a Large 3liter bottle if the crab is that big ... also i removed a large .. very large Emrald crab by putting my grabbers/tongs (whatever you wanna call them) next to his hole and when he came out I grabbed him really quick. Not sure how your rock is set up .. it maybe harder for you.

But the soda bottle trick sounds good ... just make sure the opening is big enough and like phyl said use one large piece of shrimp not small bits.

Good Luck.
 
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