gf bought unknown coral and crab.

[jesse]

i think she said it was a fiddler crab.... is it good to keep with coral? all it does is dig into the sand and hide.

as for the coral i think its a xenia...am i right? if so then any tips on placement and how to take care of it. i havent seen it open since she brought it in. shes just so excited when it comes to these thing she buys them because they are pretty and doesnt care to research first.

 

[kbuser92]

Looks like a Kenya tree to me. Medium light and flow. They grow like weeds.

Fiddler crabs are freshwater, but not sure if theres a salty version. I cant help with the crab, sorry. ^is about all the input and knowledge I have.

 

[jesse]

well the guy in the store had the crab in saltwater tanks so idk about that. the kenya trees are aggressive right?

 

[kbuser92]

I dont believe theyre agressive. As for the crab, Im not doubting its saltwater species, just the name you thought, but again, I know little about crabs so take it with a grain of salt. No pun intended. :)

 

[jesse]

i read that these tree coral will sting other coral. she told me that the name was fiddler crab but ill check it out tomorrow.

 

[yote]

Kyle's right on the coral.It's a kenya weed,,oops,,Kenya tree.:mrgreen:
And yes they are aggressive.Not in a chemical or stinging sense,but in their growth.Kenya can and will take over a tank pretty quick and once they get started,it's nearly impossible to stop them.

That crab is NOT reef safe.I don't know the technical name of it,but we call em strawberry crabs at the LFS.
If you'll look at it's claws,you'll see that they're sharp with sharp points.That indicates that the crab is a predator and will eventually take out your fish and inverts.

 

[jesse]

So I should return it?

 

[Bifferwine]

Strawberry crabs usually have white spots on their backs. Is this one spotted?

 

[jesse]

I traded in the tree for a star polyp rock. It's small but as soon as I put it in my tank it closed up and now it doesn't come out. I thought it was because it was pointed at the flow directly but i moved it out of the flow and it still won't open.

 

[kbuser92]

Give it time dude. Corals dont always open right away. Some do, some dont. Watch it for 3-4 days and then if it doesnt open, try placing it somewhere else. Moderate flow and medium light keep them happy. My star polyps are right under a HOB filter at 110 gph and they love it. Probably 5" or so under the flow, the light is about 1-1 1/4" higher to give you an idea.

 

[jesse]

ok thanks. i read that if u put it in the sand and put a rock next to it, it would spread faster.

as for the crab idk where he is at because he always digs himself in the sand. ill try to find him right now and check it for spots

 

[jesse]

ok well the crab doesnt seem to have spots. it has a blue belly and mouth tho if that helps