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**HTF3** · 03-12-2010, 10:41 PM

Well I got my first coral a couple months ago. daisy polyps. It has been spreading like
weeds. Well the last couple nights I have noticed it receding. I checked and double checked
all my params. All is good. So just now, I sat in the dark with a flash light. Well I see the problem.
A crab is gathering polyps by the bunch dragging them in a hole and eating them. Any hints on how to catch him,
or what kind of crab he is? THIS IS WAR..............
Thanks All in advance.

**HTF3** · 03-12-2010, 10:42 PM

Would a dip in R.O. water help?

**Kaymanager** · 03-13-2010, 12:05 AM

your probably gonna have to make a trap. either that or single him down to a rock and qt that rock and try to get him out.

**Amphibious** · 03-13-2010, 08:53 AM

You can make a trap out of a liter pop bottle. Cut the top off just past the shoulder. Cut slits in the top opening lengthwise about an inch long. Reverse the top, insert it back into the bottle and super glue it in a couple of places to hold it together. Bate it with a piece of raw shrimp and place on the bottom near his hideout. You should have him in the morning.

**HTF3** · 03-13-2010, 10:02 AM

Thanks, I will make the trap and when I get him I will post pics. He is mowing my polyps down.
Hope they grow back.

**HTF3** · 03-13-2010, 10:46 AM

Trap made, going hunting tonight. I hope there is only one of them.

V · 03-13-2010, 12:01 PM

awww leave him alone, he's just picking daisies..lol

& the last sounds he hears is the toilet flushing

**ScubaBosh** · 03-13-2010, 12:27 PM

haha V you're a crack up lol. HTF3- good luck. crabs are hard to catch and Dick(amphibious) knows what he's talking about. Kaymanager has a good idea too if at all possible. Hope you catch him and i'll be looking forward to hearing how ya did it. To help prevent this from happening again I would suggest thorough inspection of everything you put into your tank. Frags, rocks, whatever and if your not sure what things are, ask here before adding.

**HTF3** · 03-13-2010, 04:24 PM

That was funny V..... He may have been in there for years. I just made the jump from F.O.W.L.R. to Reefing.
I just expanded the menu by adding that first coral.

V · 03-13-2010, 09:41 PM

it prob tastes like chicken, why not, everything else new always seems too..lol

**rayme07** · 03-14-2010, 02:10 AM

I wish you the best of luck in catching the crab.

Originally Posted by V

it prob tastes like chicken, why not, everything else new always seems too..lol

Apparently you haven't tried tree squirrel, it taste like steak. lol

**HTF3** · 03-14-2010, 08:05 AM

Check the trap today. Only caught snails last night, they didn't taste like chicken and I am still hungry. But it looks like the crab stayed away from the polyps.
I will keep trying for a few nights. If I have to remove the rock (I think he is in), can I use a razor blade to cut where the polyps attach to adjacent rocks?

**CarmieJo** · 03-15-2010, 12:53 AM

Yes, you can cut the polyps with a razor blade, knife or scissors.

**Skurvey Dog** · 03-15-2010, 09:16 PM

Good luck with catching the crab. Persistance will pay off in the end. I had a crab that I could never seem to catch and then one day I saw what looked like a dead crab. I was overly excited and glad it was finally over. NOT!!!! He had only molted and was bigger than ever. Lol I did finally catch him, but it certainly wasn't by conventional methods and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. :-) But he is definately outta there!