new found 'hitchhiker' crab

[smtarr]

Got up to look in my 46g display tank with my flashlight covered in red tissue paper and saw what looked like a small piece of food or a small piece of coral rubble sitting in one of my open brain corals. Almost left it alone but the suspense got to me and I took my long wooden probe stick and pushed it out and imagine my surprise when it scooted sideways to the front of the tank! I quickly scooped it up with a net and placed it in a small specimen container for the night. It is very small, half an inch at best. No obvious claws. Pink with small ivory markings. Underside looks very 'feathery'. I found a pic of a very similar one on WetWebMedia. Will bring it to the next meeting in its little isolation tank. BTW it burrows in the sand and no obvious damage done to the open brain. Sue:confused: :rolleye1: :lol: :mixed: :(

[Hedonist]

What type of crab did WWM say it might be? I ot a pocillophora the other day taht had a crab that lived in it... I understand he does not leave the coral though.... he does have some pinchers and grabbed at a pc of food I offered ho\im so i might be worried if I had a small blenny of clown gobie that decided to sit on the coral for a while?!!?!

Anyway it is kinda neat IMO anyway!

See ya
dg

[Ihookmup]

Has he been doing any damage to the brain, or anything else? If not, I'd let the little bugger be. He may need that brain to survive, and the brain may need him? I've found a couple hitchiker crabs, and though I could never identify them, they never harmed anything, and I always felt pretty luck knowing that I couldn't even purchase these guys if I tried to.

[Dan_L]

I agree with Ihookmup I have a butch of hard corals and almost everyone has a hitchhiker. I think they're a great addition.

[spotfin]

While feeding my fish last night, I noticed some antennas sticking out from a rock in the back of my tank. I placed a small piece of squid below and saw a pair of claws reach out for it. It is some kind of shrimp, but I couldn't see enough of it to get a positive id. It has been living in my tank for a year now and I just noticed it last night. The only shrimp I have added to the tank is a coral banded. I hear pistol shrimps occasionally but the critter I saw last night is not a pistol. It's nice to find new stuff living in the rock.
Jason