Help me catch a problem Crab

[bernman77]

I was told a Sally Light Foot Crab was a good addition to my reef tank but I have been losing some small fish and I am pretty sure it is the crab. It is super fast and don't know how to catch it. Any tips would be appreciated.

Thanks

[jeffs99dime]

I was told a Sally Light Foot Crab was a good addition to my reef tank but I have been losing some small fish and I am pretty sure it is the crab. It is super fast and don't know how to catch it. Any tips would be appreciated.

Thanks

you might get some better answers in the proper section. welcome to a.c. too:ezpi_wink1:

[gm72]

To catch quick fish I use a plastic cutting board and put it in the tank to set up a divider. I cordon off part of the tank, thereby decreasing the fish's options to swim away. Not sure you will be able to do it in a reef tank, assuming you have lots of coral and such.

[gm72]

Sorry for the double post here, but I just wanted to say jeffs99dime, your signature is great. The ebook is such a wonderful resource for new aquarists, it is a shame it is comewhat lost in the menu. Drummachine09 and I were having a discussion about this just the other day--is there any way to bold it or highlight it to draw newbies' attention? Just a thought.

[jeffs99dime]

Sorry for the double post here, but I just wanted to say jeffs99dime, your signature is great. The ebook is such a wonderful resource for new aquarists, it is a shame it is comewhat lost in the menu. Drummachine09 and I were having a discussion about this just the other day--is there any way to bold it or highlight it to draw newbies' attention? Just a thought.

why--thank ya. i'm hoping newbies will notice it now. we shall see

[Drumachine09]

Crabs can be tricky, but use this trap:

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/fish_trap.php


you should cut the openings big enough, and bait it with a peice of shrimp or fish. Hope it all works out for ya.

[unleashed]

If I find that I have a problem crab, I tend to try and identify the piece of LR the crab is hiding in. I then remove that piece of LR and move it to my sump/fuge. When its in my sump/fuge, I place a trap, and when the crab is caught, I place the LR back in the display.

I never use fish/crab traps in the main tank, as there is too much of a chance that another organism might go into the trap and dissuade the "target" from entering - or entering and eating the other organism.

[2manyfish]

Get a tall glass jar (remove any labels and glue from it first) or you can use a regular glass too. Get a nice hunk of raw shrimp or an opened clam. After the lights have been out in your tank for about an hour (to make sure any fish are sleeping), place the shrimp or clam in the jar/glass. Submerge this in your tank but place the jar/glass so that it's leaning up on the rocks. It must be placed in such a way that the crab can climb up the rocks to get into the trap but the angle must be steep enough so that once the crab is in there, it will be unable to climb out those slippery, slippery sides.
HTH


BTW, if you want you can send the crab to me! My triggerfish would love to have a friend for dinner!! :wink2:

[Lady Hobbs]

Just what I was about to suggest. A glass or vase of some kind. And have your net ready to put over the end of it so he can't escape.