Poor Emerald Crab

[dan2x38]

Spoted some sort of nuisance anemone the other day. It was on the under side of a rock on the bottom of my reef. Also just above the borrow of my pistol shrimp so pretty much always guarded by a good sized pink & blue shrimp gobie so not likely anything would eat it and pretty hard to treat in place. As a result moved some rocks and pulled this piece out.

I boiled some water and drew it up in a 20 mil syringe I then squirted it over the anemone it withered up and turned to mush instantly. I did it a couple more times. I was holding the rock over a plate not sitting it down to keep it out of the fresh untreated boiling tap water to keep the coraline alive. When I finished adding the boiling water I moved my hand and there was my poor little emerald crab laying upside down dead of course.

I looked carefully I'd thought. There were some snails I moved even a pod I saved but never saw the crab. Funny thing he never hangs out on this side of the tank or rarely.

[RossW]

Are you 100% certain it is not a molt?

[dan2x38]

150% sure... it was the whole crab. He must have been tucked away in a cervice and I missed him. When I had the rock out of the water rasied up in my hand he must have dropped off looking to get back into some water but it was boiling fresh water he fell into. He didn't have a chance the poor little bugger. I enjoyed watching him at feeding time.

[Severum]

Well might as well make the best of a bad situation. Open up a can of seafood sauce!

[RoxyDog]

Aw, poor little crab.  I have 3 or 4 of them in my tank, if you'd like one to replace him you're welcome to one.  The only thing is they are full sized, not babies anymore.

[dan2x38]

Aw, poor little crab.  I have 3 or 4 of them in my tank, if you'd like one to replace him you're welcome to one.  The only thing is they are full sized, not babies anymore.

Thank you very much Jenn! One thing I did always worry about with these characters I'd read mixed reviews. Several times read they might eat small fish and/or shrimp. In my tank I did loss a small Royal Gramma with a damaged tail fin and a small Peppermint shrimp both no explaination? The tank has always been spot on except once my heater was unglugged for several days by mistake.