Macro Algae & Corals 25 Gallon Peninsula

[Mschmidt]

You can tell from the underside of the crab’s carapace. Female crabs usually have a more “rounded” pattern on their underside, whereas male crabs tend to have a narrower pattern. Here are a few examples from other crab species to give you a sense:

View attachment 2950593

And an example of Blue Crabs:

View attachment 2950594

The females have a broader, rounder underside since that’s where they hold their clutch of eggs.

Something I am not sure about is whether this pattern holds true for “false” crabs. That would be a neat rabbit hole to explore!

Nice, thanks.

 

[OldRed1]

Well…the molt has happened!

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Anyone here familiar with the mating behaviors of this curious crustacean?

Not much seems to be known about the mating behaviors of these guys, but berried (ovigerous/egg-carrying) females have been found in July (and possibly other summer months), and the larvae go through five zoeal stages and one megalops stage prior to settlement (they've been reared on Artemia nauplii before).

If anyone has or gets any info on their mating/courtship, that'd be great info to share.

 

[OldRed1]

Not much seems to be known about the mating behaviors of these guys, but berried (ovigerous/egg-carrying) females have been found in July (and possibly other summer months), and the larvae go through five zoeal stages and one megalops stage prior to settlement (they've been reared on Artemia nauplii before).

If anyone has or gets any info on their mating/courtship, that'd be great info to share.

Would be very cool if I could get my hands on a female! I’m strongly considering getting a pico tank just for this crab lol.

 

[Mhamilton0911]

It's been awhile since I stopped in to check in your tank and your crab. Little thing is all grown up looking!! Aw. Anywho, how big is it now? I swear I've seen this pattern on a shell at my lfs. They've had it for a while now. I'm tempted to go back and check it out more.

 

[OldRed1]

It's been awhile since I stopped in to check in your tank and your crab. Little thing is all grown up looking!! Aw. Anywho, how big is it now? I swear I've seen this pattern on a shell at my lfs. They've had it for a while now. I'm tempted to go back and check it out more.

Please do check it out! This crab is super cool. It’s grown from a wee 1/4” across to now being nearly 3.5”. Crazy!

 

[Mhamilton0911]

I wanna say that the one I've been seeing at lfs is a full sized 3-4" also.

 

[OldRed1]

I wanna say that the one I've been seeing at lfs is a full sized 3-4" also.

I’m chatting with a local reefer to buy a used 10 gallon tank to use as a home for the crab. The crab is too big for my nano tank; it seems to need a lot of burrowing space.

 

[OldRed1]

Big crab is big!

 

[OldRed1]

Purchased a Bubble Magus Mini Q protein skimmer. Was very easy to install. Simply adjust screw 1 to slide the mounting bracket to the appropriate height on the skimmer, then use screw 2 to secure the skimmer in place against the tank wall.

The dial used to control the water height is very sensitive. Took me a few minutes to get the water and bubble height to the appropriate level. Skimmer has a very sleek and low profile design and is quiet as a mouse!

 

[OldRed1]

Here’s the skimmer in action. The Nero 3 is louder than the skimmer!

Bubble Magus Mini Q internal skimmer is quiet as a mouse!

youtube.com

 

[OldRed1]

Soon-to-be new home for the Calico Box Crab!

 

[OldRed1]

Crab tank…now with light!

 

[jabberwock]

Looking great!

 

[OldRed1]

Looking great!

Thank you! Currently debating whether to seed this tank with another order from Tampa Bay Saltwater. Just gotta watch the budget, you know….

 

[829282610]

The crab awesome! glad he/she getting it’s own home. I’m waiting on my mini q to arrive. Looks like a nice little skimmer. Great tank, btw

 

[OldRed1]

The crab awesome! glad he/she getting it’s own home. I’m waiting on my mini q to arrive. Looks like a nice little skimmer. Great tank, btw

Love the Mini Q. For how small and quiet it is, it does its job very well. Thanks for the kind words!

 

[OldRed1]

Love a good cleaning day!

 

[OldRed1]

New invert tank…now with rocks!

 

[829282610]

Really liking the rock structure