Swimming crab

[Sarra]

Is there a reef safe swimming crab I could keep in my nano, or in the future planned 37 gallon (tall) reef tank? Specific species? I'd love to have one, though I don't think I have enough room in my current 10 gallon, I'd like to do some research if there is anything worth looking into.

[InTr4nceWeTrust]

Crabs can swim? O_o

[Lupin]

Anemone crabs and porcelain crabs. Grins has a porcelain crab in her reef tank if I can remember it correctly.

[mandy21]

I have 2 anemone crabs, they certainly have never swam for me in the 2 months they've been in there. Neat little guys and certainly will have at least one in the nano, but they've been happy as could be around the same spot in the rocks. I actually have never seen them on a different rock, just a different area of it.

[clown-lover]

I love my little porcelain crab that is in my tank.. But I hardly ever see him, in fact it is only at night that I can catch a look at him running around the tank.

[Sarra]

Anenome crabs? Interesting, I'll check a few out. My LFS can order just about anything for me, I think that one of them is in order anyway. :p

I believe it's considered a swimming crab if it has the flattened, paddle-like rear legs. Like a Blue Crab. even if it doesn't ever actually use them to swim. :p

I have a few anenome in my tank that are growing, i'm afraid of unwanted glass anenome as well as aiptasia. :( if this turns out to be something other than an annoying pest, and it won't get too large for my nano, I'll let it be and get an anenome crab for it.

[FishPassion]

Horse shoe crabs will swim and are very comical to watch as they try to swim into currents with their prehistoric looking bodies. They are excellent sand stirrers but their only drawback is they do grow big and will outgrow your nano or may allready be to big once you receive it. Awesome looking crab tho, and depending where you read some say it is not a "true" crab at all...

[vorlx]

The Anemone crabs are cool.. I love mine. My BTA and him are best friends. The horseshoe crabs are cool but they grow way to large for most normal tanks.

[Sarra]

Yeah, I checked out Horseshoe crabs, did some reading. The 37 gallon tank I'm getting is a 37 tall, not a long, so no go for horseshoes. :(

LFS has a porcelain crab coming in for me on I believe Wednesday. No clue when the 37 tall will be available for use, it's currently being used to house a large colony of baby crested geckos. :p

[Grins]

As mentioned, both the porcelain and anemone crabs are reef safe but you won't typically see them swimming except when they first get in the tank and dart to the rocks.

[Sarra]

I figured. I would rather put crabs in my tank than fish, so it works out anyway. :p