View Full Version : Invertebrates which are "NOT" Reef Safe
reefanatic
01-21-2005, 4:49 PM
Please list all invertebrates which are "NOT" deemed as safe to be in a reef system. Provide an explanation why and your "personal" experience.....
Don't know about the rest of you, but I HAD an emerald crab that killed, and ate, 2 condy anemones, all my xenia, and was munching on an open brain before I got rid of him.
RJJ_EXPERT
01-26-2005, 12:21 PM
i had peppermint shrimp buging xenia and my LTA so i moved them
but an emerrald crab they are exposed to be vegetarian
Im suprised about the Peppermint shrimp. Camel shrimps (that often get sold as peppermints around here) are notorious for coral munching
GoodBud
01-30-2005, 12:41 AM
i have had numerous emerald crabs, the one i have now is an awesome little guy doesnt mess with nothing and does his job all day and nite, one of the previous emeralds i had did eat a few anenomes but they were slowly dying at the time anyway so i dont think he had anything to do with their demise other then giving them a quicker death critters can sense another that is dying and eat it due to vulnerablility.
mogurnda
01-30-2005, 2:10 PM
I think this exchange illustrates that there are some species that are on the borderline. I have not had a problem with mithraculus crabs, but I have seen some nice videos of them eating zoanthids. Peppermist shrimp are similar. Some are well-behaved, and I have owned some that were voracious demons. And they were definitely not camel shrimp.
jagt48
02-15-2005, 10:35 PM
Also some brittle starfish. I have one and noticed a big decline in my hermit crab population. I found out just the other day that some people who have them said that the brittle eats them at night when it comes out to feed, and some of my crabs looked like they had been half eaten (even my scarlets). Neat to watch but I think hes going to have to go in a separate tank.
coldhybrid21
02-15-2005, 11:07 PM
sallylightfoot crab adult will eat fish
OrionGirl
02-16-2005, 9:27 AM
Once more--it depends. I've had a sally light foot in my reef for 4 years with no problems.
jrjeffery
04-16-2005, 12:29 PM
I have had horrible luck with Large hermits eating all fish they can catch.(finally took them back to LPS) He replaced them with snails and a large chestnut cowry. I have had no problems with the Cowry. The other murdering tenants I have (and need to get shed of) are Chocolate Chip Stars, they have destroyed anemonies, small gionopora,shrooms. I hate them with a passion, but my children love them. So I guess nano is in order.
Ashes
06-03-2005, 12:02 AM
Let's not forget decorator crabs - I had a fish store employee tell me they were reef-safe once, but you can tell they aren't... Unless you want something to redecorate your tank for you!
tongareefer34
07-09-2005, 11:40 PM
YES emerald crabs are NOT REEF SAFE!!! I ONLY TRUST 3 OR 4 HERMITS LIKE BLUE LEG, RED LRG,SCARLET AND LEFT HANDED ZEBRA,,,,
I got rid of my Sally lightfoot. Found my percula in its claws one morning dead. I saw several occasipns when he'd hide under a rock and make a dive at any fish that swam near him.
I've also had problems with larger blue leg hermit crabs killing turbo snails for the shell.
arrow2fast
02-05-2006, 1:19 AM
I have a small crab (not a hermit crab) which came with the live rock. It started to eat my leather coral. I will trap the crab and throw it to my chickens in the yard!!!
bigcoupebmw
02-19-2006, 12:43 PM
Never had a problem with the emerald crab, but 3 LFS said orange and purple lobster (cant remember name) were reef safe. Not the one I got, he loves eating corals and wasn't picky about which one either. Traded him in for something else.
TomToro
12-20-2006, 12:08 PM
The larger Blue leg hermits are killers. I have the large Mexican Turbos and when one isn't on the glass, he's fair game for the blue legs. Heard my kids screaming at the tank one day and the blue legs were eating and ripping apart a live Turbo. Looked like fire ants on a carcass carrying parts of the thing back to there homes. Gotta get 'em and send the to the ref.
Decorator Crab -- Excellent in big tanks, mines in a 55g and he will catch slow fish sometimes, this is a true PIA. Just get fast fish LOL!
snookhooker74
02-10-2007, 6:59 PM
EMERALD CRABS
had to remove them due to them picking at ricordias
denedene
02-23-2007, 12:03 AM
Hi,
I just wanted to add that the lobster you are referring to is just a plain ol' reef lobster or at least that is what they called it when I bought it. I love this lobster, he doen't bother anything and he is a beautiful orange and purple. For a long time he would hide in the rocks but now he is use to the tank and ME so he will come out and greet me a lot more.
andy1130
12-18-2007, 9:48 PM
I would have to toss arrow crab on there as a borderline one, did great with all my corals but got territorial with other crabs and shrimp and would go after any type of worm in there, including feather dusters & x-mas tree worms
kjbrat
01-15-2008, 1:33 PM
I just caught my emerald crab yesterday munching on the last of my zoa polyps (the rest of the colony was previously consumed by hermit crabs). Going to have to get rid of this guy too!!!!
I just caught my emerald crab yesterday munching on the last of my zoa polyps (the rest of the colony was previously consumed by hermit crabs). Going to have to get rid of this guy too!!!!
How ironic. I had just purchased an average sized frag of Xenia and a Green star polyp colony. I had the Xenia lodged into a nice spot in the rock. I kept checking on it to see how it was doing and I saw the an EMERALD picking at it. So I fight him off, I couldn't get to him where I could get him out yet. He had a death grip on the bottom of the Xenia. I finally got him off. I found another spot for the Xenia and then later last night I see the grab has ran off with him and drug him to the bottom of the rock. I again beat him off and relocated the Xenia. I tried to lure him out with some Krill and almost had him but ran out of time and had to run some errands.
The Xenia had started to open back up and had a nice spot. My wife asks "wheres that other one"? I go to point it out to her AND ITS GONE. The dang crab ran off with it. I had JUST checked on it about 5 minutes prior. I can't find it anywhere. =(
leocom2000
03-20-2008, 1:49 AM
That crab beat your *****s!!!!:grinyes:
emptywallet
05-01-2008, 9:53 PM
coral banded shrimp<BR>
they eat my poor little hermits and leave their legs around like trash...
Octavarium
12-20-2008, 2:05 PM
Politicians
floridaskunkape
01-14-2011, 6:06 PM
How do you guys trap/ get rid of things? I've got a couple hairy crabs I'd like to get at but it's impossible unless i took out every rock. Or marine worms! I'd LOVE to be able to get him out of the rock. Tried shrimp meat in pantyhose. Tried smashing them at lightening speed. they weren't havin it.
Cerianthus
01-14-2011, 10:02 PM
Look at traps avail on the market and you should be able to diy better one yourself even with interchageable flexible openings.
I used to lend mine out to other hobbyists. Diy'd using a Ghost House (transparent tube) OR small piece of gravel vacuum tube + one or two worm feeders (cone type). I believe i posted dwg of diy trap in this forum. Just cant remember when. Lmk if need further instruction as I have to type this time as my scanner is loaded onto PC yet. Used similar concept in larger scale to trap locally caught s/w fishes/inverts.