Hi everyone!
My questions, in a nutshell, are:
Do Gorilla crabs eat LPS coral polyps, notably Torch coral?
If not, what pest crabs do that can also hitchhike on live rock?
What is the best way to catch a (Gorilla?) crab? Or is it easier to, say, harpoon it with a sharp instrument?
I'm quite certain that my torch dying is the result of this crab. I have other LPS corals that are thriving in my tank, including other Euphyllia corals like Frogspawn and Hammerhead.
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Background story/description
I've had a torch coral in my tank for about 3 months now. It actually started to show signs of splitting on two of the heads - they became 'thin' in the middle yet were circular at either side? Kinda like a figure '8' I suppose. My trumpet colony has grown to 16 heads from 10 when I bought it 5 months ago.
Anyway, my torch had been showing signs of dying over the last week. I noticed some tentacles had fallen off and were floating around the tank. In my ignorance I thought nothing of it and guessed - well - I don't know. Bad, I know. I thought that when LPS corals die, they kind of 'dissolve' into the water rather than shed/eject polyps, which is why I think this crab has come along and ruined my fun!?
Cut to the chase - when my torch finally died yesterday I noticed a crab living in the rock very close to where the skeleton of the coral was. I think it is a Gorilla crab based on Google images. It's too difficult for me to get a camera angle to take a photo to ask for an ID.
I've put two and two together to guess this crab (Gorilla or not) has eaten/killed my torch. It seems to live in a very deep crevice about 2" from the top of the torch skeleton.
The crab (from what I've been able to see of it at least) is about 2cm across, has rather large claws for its size (I'd guess 4mm in length and 3mm in width). It camouflages in with the rock very well and I can often only see it when it moves. This is best described as dark brown in colour, but the claws are white. I think I can see the traditional 'hairy' look on it to give the most common feature of a Gorilla crab - but it is very difficult to spot.
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I'd really appreciate any advice/experience people can share with me on this one. I'm currently working on removing/killing this crab, but of course, I'll succumb to the experience of someone with more experience than me!
Thank you very much in advance!! :)
My questions, in a nutshell, are:
Do Gorilla crabs eat LPS coral polyps, notably Torch coral?
If not, what pest crabs do that can also hitchhike on live rock?
What is the best way to catch a (Gorilla?) crab? Or is it easier to, say, harpoon it with a sharp instrument?
I'm quite certain that my torch dying is the result of this crab. I have other LPS corals that are thriving in my tank, including other Euphyllia corals like Frogspawn and Hammerhead.
--------------------------------
Background story/description
I've had a torch coral in my tank for about 3 months now. It actually started to show signs of splitting on two of the heads - they became 'thin' in the middle yet were circular at either side? Kinda like a figure '8' I suppose. My trumpet colony has grown to 16 heads from 10 when I bought it 5 months ago.
Anyway, my torch had been showing signs of dying over the last week. I noticed some tentacles had fallen off and were floating around the tank. In my ignorance I thought nothing of it and guessed - well - I don't know. Bad, I know. I thought that when LPS corals die, they kind of 'dissolve' into the water rather than shed/eject polyps, which is why I think this crab has come along and ruined my fun!?
Cut to the chase - when my torch finally died yesterday I noticed a crab living in the rock very close to where the skeleton of the coral was. I think it is a Gorilla crab based on Google images. It's too difficult for me to get a camera angle to take a photo to ask for an ID.
I've put two and two together to guess this crab (Gorilla or not) has eaten/killed my torch. It seems to live in a very deep crevice about 2" from the top of the torch skeleton.
The crab (from what I've been able to see of it at least) is about 2cm across, has rather large claws for its size (I'd guess 4mm in length and 3mm in width). It camouflages in with the rock very well and I can often only see it when it moves. This is best described as dark brown in colour, but the claws are white. I think I can see the traditional 'hairy' look on it to give the most common feature of a Gorilla crab - but it is very difficult to spot.
---------------------------
I'd really appreciate any advice/experience people can share with me on this one. I'm currently working on removing/killing this crab, but of course, I'll succumb to the experience of someone with more experience than me!
Thank you very much in advance!! :)
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