Monster Crab on the loose

[Orion4858]

A few months ago I found a medium size crab living in my rock,
Last night I saw him again this time eating my star fish's arm!!!
he's not medium sized any more, his body is about 1.5" diameter
with huge pinchers and I also found 1 of my Xenia's upsidedown on the sand which was located half way up the rocks before.
He has dug a tunnel system under my rocks as well.
How can I get rid of him without removing all my rocks,
Is there any type of trap I could use? :eek2:

[happyface888]

I heard of people using a jar or something with some meaty food inside than the crab falls in and cant back out because they can't grip anything.

[Orion4858]

Thanks for the reply, I think the jar would just let the fish eat the meat or whatever and not leave anything there for the crab though!

[twon8]

interceptor

[Orion4858]

I thought interceptor was for red bugs etc...
Not a huge crab...

[DaveG99]

wait until it gets dark and get your self a long sharp poker. Like the ones used for shishkabobs. THen when you see him peek out at night stab that sucker in the back!

[Snowboarda42]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11374034#post11374034 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Orion4858
I thought interceptor was for red bugs etc...
Not a huge crab...

It effects all hard shelled inverts (not snails, stomatellas, conchs, etc.)

You'd have to really dose a strong amount to hurt the crab though, not something I'd suggest doing.

[Salamander]

And then steam for 10 minutes with Old Bay and lemon. Serve with melted butter.

[lhoy]

Use a mason jar, lean it up against the rocks, put some shellfish meat or such and then when the crab climbs in, he can't climb out.

Lee

[Orion4858]

Thanks for all your great suggestions, I like the BBQ skewer especially but I think I will go with the mason jar.

[uscharalph]

Good luck getting him out.

[Blown 346]

I have used the inverted bottle tricj and it has worked great for me. I was able to catch 4 crabs in my tank this way within a hour after putting the trap in.

[Frick-n-Frags]

put the jar trap in after lights out so that the fish won't be involved, if you are concerned with the fish eating the bait.

[Avi]

I had a rogue Xanthid crab in my reef that came in with the live rock. It was small and did no harm at all when I first saw it. After that I rarely saw it and it was completely nocturnal.

But, then, one day about a year after the tank was set up, it started to descimate my starfish and zoanthids...Oh, what beauties, too!...and then any kind of mushrooms, like rodactis. It literally cost me a fortune and heartbreak, if you know what I mean. I think you do. The problem was that any time I even approached the tank, it backed off into the rockwork. It was totally elusive and I tried one thing after the other including the jar and nothing worked. It limited what I could put into the reef for years. Then, just recently, it began destroying SPS. It would break the smaller "branches" off and leave "strips" where beautiful growth had been. I was now at war and determined to win.

I caught it two weeks later. Here's how....I got a fish trap from an online vendor...It's just a small clear plastic box with one side being an opening that has a series of plastic thingees that hang down. These thingees can move in the "in" direction but not out. I put a whole shrimp (the kind you get in the frozen section of the supermarket) and left it on the substrate of the tank. The crab didn't go there for days, but then one morning the shrimp was gone. It actually went in during the night, took the shrimp bait, and somehow got out. It did the same thing again a few nights later...and it started to go in...and out...in shorter periods of time each time even in the daytime. Then aftera just about two weeks, it would go in and out withing minutes of putting the shrimp into the trap. Once it was that secure taking the bait even in daylight, I stood and watched from about 6-feet way, and when it did go into the trap for the bait, I rushed over to the tank and with a long tool, I blocked its exit and I had him. By then it was as big as a golfball. Try that if all else fails.

[Orion4858]

Thanks Again All, Last night I put in the mason jar with a piece of ham - thinking that the fish wont like ham.. and this morning I had 5 of my small hermits in there feasting on the ham but no big crabs to be seen...
I will try again with shrimp at night then look into that fish trap thing, Thanks Avi.