I have a craving for CRABMEAT!

F

Frogspawn

Well my suspicions have been confirmed. The rogue crab that I got as a hitchhiker when I brought home some rock last year is a killer. He is extremely reclusive and I rarely see him. I've also tried to catch him numerous times.
A couple of weeks ago my Randal's Goby disappeared. My other one had disappeared a week prior. No carcasses, nothing.
Saturday I brought home a gorgeous purple firefish! A real beauty. He disappeared the very next day after hiding out in the same spot my Goby's had hidden in and disappeared from.
So today I did some reconnaissance in the area under the rock that they had dug out. The little #*%$ was up under the rock behind the Goby dugout! He had ambushed them from behind while they were looking out for attacks from the front it would seem. These Gobies were 3 to 4 inches long and I've never seen a "slow" fish. Yet, now I've lost three of my favorites within a month to that freakin' crab.
So I tore into the tank. I could just see barely see where he was at, but I couldn't get to him. I poked and jabbed from the front and behind. I'm thinking there is a cavity up underneath the rock that he retreated to during my attack. The rock is almost immovable without an extreme risk of damaging coral and an anemone so for now that's out.
I've now put a glass vase in the tank at a tilt and it will be a permanent part of my tank until I catch the killer beast.
I'm still working on what I'm gonna do with him when I do get him... and I will one way or another! heh
So if you have any good ideas for catching and/or assigning punishment, please let me know. :twisted:
 
You probably have a mantis shrimp in your tank. Do you hearing a clicking noise at times? Frank tells me that they are capable of breaking aquarium glass. I had not heard that before. He had one in , a peacock mantis that someone had ordered. It is a stone cold killer. crustaceans and small fish are totally at risk. You may need to tear the tank down to get at him.
 
It's not a mantis. I thought about that but the circumstances are too overwhelming and this crab is a large one.

Thanks for the thought,
 
The Mantis I saw at Franks Tank was easily 8 inches long. Are you sure? The behavior and ability to hunt and kill makes it quite likely in my opinion.
 
Since that little guy likes fish flesh, tie a piece of frozen fish onto something that don't float (like a rock) and put it in a glass or plastic jar. Put the jar in the tank just in front of the crab's favorite hide. When he goes in, trap him in the jar. Something like that should work.
 
I've got a silverside inside a shot glass... inside a vase at a slant now. I've rounded up a whole lot of hermits this way already! heh No big nasty yet but I'll let you know when I get him. I sure he's quite full now.

Maybe I should try to sell him for about $130 which would just about cover what he's eaten. $%^#@@%^^&%%$#%
 
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