Can you "train" crabs....

[Annette]

I am a beginner with an inherited aggressive, hardy tomato clown, 2 emerald crabs and newly purchased feather dusters. I bought the emeralds to get rid of some bubble algae and do some scraping.

I caught one of the emeralds chewing on the end of one of the feather dusters. I poked him off, buried the duster deeper in the sand and put some coral chunks on top. I then fed the emerald some algae.

Am I doing the wrong thing by feeding my emeralds? Will they still forage and scrape the rock. I started giving them supplemental algae when they were scraping my live rock. I just wondered if they are more likely or less likely to attack my featherdusters if they are getting 'hand fed'?

Or is feeding them when they attack the feather dusters 'rewarding' the behavior?

I am probably reading to much into it, but I also am just learning how to manage the tank.

thank you for the insight.

[zhenya]

Annette,



I moved your thread to this forum so it can get more exposure and perhaps more responses.

[Poseidon]

Hi Annette,

Unfortunately emerald crabs are not true herbivores as you have discovered. I do not think ANY crabs are reef safe, being almost all of them are omniverous scavengers, they will eat whatever they can, whenever they can get it!

[Ninong]

Emerald crabs are mostly herbivorous as juveniles but as they mature their diet changes to omnivorous and includes meaty items. They are most certainly not reef-aquarium safe and never have been in spite of what some vendors may claim.

Feeding habits of Emerald crabs.

[almostdiva]

Hi Annette!

What Ninong and Mike said -- crabs are almost all opportunistic omnivores. If the can catch and eat it -- they will. There are some, like your emeralds, that are better-behaved than most when they are small. Give any of them enough time, and they get bad. Unfortunately.

For your bubble algae -- more agressive skimming, lighter feeding might help. Up to you what to do with the crabs (your local store might let you return or trade them).

Good luck!

Rebecca

[Annette]

thanks for the notes. My crabs are pretty big guys(older) to hold up against the clown. So, from the comments, ominvorous.

I don't have a sump system, so I will see what the fish place says. Otherwise, I wonder if there is a way to keep them in a particular area since they are still fun to look for(where's Waldo for my son), I will see what is left when I get home....