Saltwater Aquarium Crabs

Posted in Crabs, Invertebrates, Reef Inhabitants

Saltwater aquarium crabs can be very entertaining pets, as well as great scavengers that can help to clean out uneaten food from your aquarium. Crabs will feed off of dead and dying organic matter, such as leftover food and dying plants in the aquarium. Some people just like to keep crabs in the aquarium because of their unique looks and the way they interact with the other aquarium inhabitants.

Crabs come in many different shapes and sizes and certain crabs are suited for certain aquarium types. Make sure you do plenty of research when picking out the proper crabs for your aquarium. Some crabs can actually attack and eat some of the smaller fish in the aquarium, so make sure you do your homework before you make a costly mistake. Most crabs are generally easy to care for and are low maintenance. You can supplement your crabs diet with bloodworms and brine shrimp.

My crab experience

I have had experience with a few types of crabs since I started my tank. The first, that I would recommend to any new reefer, are blue leg hermit crabs. These little guys are great for cleaning up detritus and controlling algae growth. Blue legged hermits are also very hardy and totally reef safe. It is important to remember that these animals do not grow their own shells, so it is imperative to have some extra, larger shells in the tank so they have room when they start to grow.

hermit-crab

Another very useful crab is the Emerald crab. These types of crabs are pretty controversial when it comes to reef tanks. Through my reading, I have learned that many people have seemed to have problems with these guys messing with corals and smaller fish when they become larger in size. I myself have a gigantic emerald crab with his body, not including legs, being a little larger than a quarter. When I first bought my coral, he would go over and try to clean in between the polyps, occasionally hitting and closing one, but not eating it. I think that what most people are getting confused with here is that they just get a little too large and are a bit clumsy with their movements. Other than that, I have no complaints on these guys, and they do a great job cleaning the algae in my tank. If you are going to purchase 1 or more of these, I would go with the smaller ones.

emerald-crab

Finally, the Arrow crab. This type of crab is probably one of the most interesting looking I have seen in the hobby. It looks like a marine daddy long legs because of its long limbs. These crabs also have very interesting color patterns and an almost alien shape, and they are also great with algae control. While I loved having this creature in my tank, he was too large and very dominant. He caught and killed a juvenile clownfish I had bought within one night of being in the tank. My arrow crab was always visible and very colorful. One night he decided to molt on my overflow and got sucked in and died – I was very sad, but in the end it was for the best.