Jet Black Crab That (i Think) Came With Lv

[csjasona]

Hi all

A little while ago when I got my fully cured LV from the LFS, I soon noticed that there was a small (15mm) totally black crab lurking under one piece of rock. Over months it's grown to about 25mm-30mm and lives under a hollow below some LV. I've no idea what it is and whether I should supose of it when I upgrade the tank soon. Sometimes at night I hear a "clicking" from the tank - could it be the crab doing nawty things?

 

[1entra]

the noise could well be the crab. theres no real way of us being able to help you i.d. it with the info you have given us above. can you describe what it looks like in more detail... any chance of getting a pic?
you could try getting a piece of prawn/cooked shrimp on a thin skewer an placing it near the crabs cave. if the crab comes out n attacks/eats the prawn/shrimp this will state it is opportistic and you should try removing it from your tank by either netting it or taking out the piece of LR it is residing in...

 

[csjasona]

have tried to take a picture; but it's incredibly shy and seems to see me approaching the tank and very quickly hides away. I've never seen it fully out of the cover of its little hide-away but have seen it putting its claws out when they is food around. All I can say is that it is 100% black - looks rather evil to me!

 

[SkiFletch]

I've never seen a 100% black crab that was NOT an omnivorous opportunist...

 

[csjasona]

It shall be removed when I upgrade the tank, then! After I wear some thick gloves - just looking at the thing gives me the shovers!

 

[Tommo]

Could well be a black mithrax crab, they are pretty much 100% black. i think theyre mainly scavengers and not hamfull although they do seem to like hanging out in coral branches. The clicking sound may well be a pistol shrimp rather than the crab going on a killing spree...

 

[Musho3210]

Ive seen pure jet black crabs eat expensive sps coral at my lfs (extremely cool how they do it and the crabs are extremely cool, but costs the store a lot of cash)

 

[littleme1969]

My large red mythrax crabs makes that clicking noise when he chows down on clams that he finds from time to time. he even managed to open and consume one that was 1.5" long no idea how he did it but I guess fresh food and they will go to any lengths.