Is this crab reef safe? id please

N

natas

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[I was taking photo's today of some of my sps. While zooming in I noticed a neat little crab lodged in one of my sps's. So I managed to get him out and decided to throw him in a cup of water untill I can find out if he is reef safe.

Anyway here are two pics of him. Note the small size. He also has one big pincher on his right.

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[Yeah he does look like a little acro crab, there are so many species I know they have not all been identified. They are symbiotic with acro's sometimes and will help clean algae and debris off the coral. Looks like a good little fella to me.]
 
[Yes, that belongs in your acropora. It is a commensal crab, and works symbiotically with your coral. It keeps it clean from algae, and the coral provides it shelter.

When you buy SPS corals, look to see if one is in there. I always try to get corals with acro crabs if possible.

Great pictures. Got one that is 640x480? Might use it on the ID page. Here's one of mine:

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[Generally any crab that is living inside of the branches of a sps coral is a commensal crab. They generally do not hurt the coral and actually do it a lot of good. They will actually try to fight off predators of their coral.
This a great photo of a small acro crab defending his coral from a huge Crown of Thorns starfish. I hope it works.

Acro crab]



Edited By Rick on 1108264361
 
[That's a cool shot, Rick! Thanks for linking it.]
 
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