Crab indentification ASAP! Great photo of it!

[beeguiles]

So as the title states I need an ID on this little guy. I found him living in an acro colony I ordered from divers den so I got him out and I have him sittin in a bowl of water until I find out if he is safe or not. I dont really want to kill him or flush him so if he is safe I'd like to put him back in but until I find out, in the water dish he stays.

 

[Waddi]

Looks like acro crab to me.

 

[spongeycrab]

They're a good thing

 

[Bifferwine]

If he was living in the acro colony, he is likely an acro crab. They have a symbiotic relationship similar to a clown/anemone pair. I had an acro crab hitch hiker for a very long time. His name was Sebastian and he was awesome. :) They will protect "their" coral from predators.

 

[beeguiles]

Thanks guys! I did end up placing him back in his home. I feel terrible for making my hubby pull the little guy out but I wanted to protect my tank. I need to come up with a name for him. He is a cute little buggar!

 

[little_fish]

They also clean the polyps and make sure they are getting proper flow (how, i have no idea! That is just what they said). I guess colonies that have their crab tend to grow better than colonies without one. Very cool hitchhiker!!!

 

[Bifferwine]

Here is a pic of Sebastian (click to enlarge):

 

[beeguiles]

Aww Sebastian is so cute! When I was researching species of crabs I came across a photo of how to tell the difference between a female and male crab. I guess the female has a flat smooth underside to their shell and the male is more bumpy...idl I'm not very good at describing things, anyways..mine looks like a female! So my hubby said she's like an illusion, she just blends in with the acro so I named her Lucy the illusionist! :)