Acro Crabs - how to tell which ones are good?

[koda_dad]

I have 3 sps (acros) which have crabs living within..

I was told that if they have a fuzzy back and blue eyes they are bad....other than that they are fine. Is that true?

Would you get rid of them? Do they serve any purpose to the acro?

What is the harm they can cause?

 

[Bifferwine]

I've never heard of a bad acro crab. I've always thought that all of them are safe.

 

[koda_dad]

I was told that the blue eyed fuzzy back ones eat the coral...

 

[BL1]

The Trapezia Pocillopora/Acropora Crabs that live within them don't eat the corals but, they will feed on any detrius or food that gets trapped by the coral polyps. In the wild they serve to protect the corals from predators but, don't serve a real purpose in home aquariums

 

[yote]

+1 Brian.
There is no such critter as a bad acro crab.

 

[koda_dad]

Am I correct in reading that some of these crabs hiding in SPS are in fact gorilla crabs....not the harmless acro crabs?

 

[BL1]

they look totally different, the first pics are the acro crabs and the second are gorilla crabs