Gorilla Crabs are known as the “killer hitchhiker.” If you find one in your aquarium, you need to remove it immediately.
If you have noticed unexplained fish or corals losses, Gorilla Crabs may be the cause. This type of crab is a pest that comes out at night and eats your fish, coral, snails, and other small animals.
Gorilla crabs eat coral tissue. If you have coral in your tank, especially Acropora, be on the lookout for these pests.
This article explains what to do if you find a Gorilla Crab in your tank.
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The Gorilla Crab gets its name from its hairy body and hairy legs.
What do they eat?
Gorilla crabs will eat anything they can get their claws on, including coral, small fish, starfish, shrimp, snails, and clams. It is not recommended to put a Gorilla Crab in your aquarium. These pests will prey on your fish and coral.
What does a Gorilla Crab look like?
You can identify a Gorilla Crab from other crabs by its round, knobby, hairy body, hairy legs, and black-tipped claws.
Gorilla Crab vs. Emerald Crab
Because they look so similar, Gorilla Crabs are sometimes confused for Emerald Crabs. The difference is that Gorilla Crabs have black-tipped claws, while Emerald Crabs are entirely green.
Emerald Crabs are safe to have in your tank. They can even be beneficial because they eat algae. Gorilla Crabs are not safe for your tank and should be removed.
Why should I remove a Gorilla Crab from my tank?
If you find a gorilla crab in your tank, remove it as soon as possible. Gorilla crabs start out small, but when they grow bigger, they will prey on your fish and eat your coral.
Why are Gorilla Crabs bad?
Gorilla crabs are coral-eating pests that will prey on your fish, coral, and clams. If you find a Gorilla Crab in your tank, it is crucial to remove it immediately.
Are Gorilla Crabs reef-safe?
No. Gorilla Crabs are not reef-safe. Gorilla Crabs should be removed from your aquarium as soon as you spot one. They are pests that will eat anything they can get their claws on, including small fish, starfish, clams, and shrimp.
What is the best way to get rid of Gorilla Crabs in an aquarium?
The best way to get rid of Gorilla Crabs is to physically remove them from your aquarium. Since there is nothing you can add to your tank to get rid of them, you must do it yourself.
You can set a trap for the crab, grab it with a large pair of tweezers, catch it in a net, or spear its body with a chopstick or something similar to kill it. Gorilla Crabs are nocturnal, so they usually don’t come out during the day.
Keep in mind that if you found one Gorilla Crab, that may not be all of them. There may be more in your tank. Keep an eye out for these pests so they don’t grow bigger and wreak havoc on your aquarium.
How can I remove a Gorilla Crab from my coral?
To remove a Gorilla Crab from coral, you must spear its body with a chopstick or something similar and remove it from the coral.
To remove a Gorilla Crab from your tank, you must trap it, grab it with tweezers, catch it with a net, or spear it.
How do you kill a Gorilla Crab?
You can kill a Gorilla Crab by smashing it or spearing it with a sharp stick.
How to catch a Gorilla Crab in a reef tank
If you want to remove a Gorilla Crab from your aquarium without killing it, you can set up a trap to catch it. Rather than chasing it around your tank with a pair of tweezers, you can buy a pest trap or crab trap online or at a pet store.
If you would rather trap the crab yourself, you can use a shot glass to catch it. A shot glass will only work if the Gorilla Crab is still small. If the Gorilla Crab is too big to be caught in a shot glass, you can use a bigger glass. For bait, you can use a piece of raw shrimp or raw bay scallop.
Once you have your glass and your bait, put the glass at the bottom of the tank so it is resting at an angle against a rock. The idea is to place it so that the crab can crawl into it. Put the bait into the bottom of the glass.
A shot glass makes a good crab trap because the crab will not be able to climb out of it, since the inside of the shot glass is smooth.
Keep an eye out for signs of other Gorilla Crabs in your tank. Just because you caught one doesn’t mean you caught them all.
How can I prevent Gorilla Crabs from getting into my tank?
Gorilla crabs are known to “hitchhike” their way into tanks and aquariums. To prevent Gorilla Crabs from getting into your tank, you should inspect each rock you place in your tank.
Where should I put a Gorilla Crab?
If you removed a Gorilla Crab from your tank and don’t want to kill it, you can put it in a sump tank.
Gorilla Crabs are part of the Xanthidae family of crabs. Sometimes called “mud crabs,” this species of crab is not a good one to find in your aquarium. This type of crab is a pest that should be removed before it preys on your fish, coral, shrimp, and other small animals.
The Gorilla Crab may be the cause of your disappearing or “kamikaze” fish (fish that jump tank). They are nocturnal, so you may not even know they are there until they are big enough to cause problems in your tank.
To get rid of Gorilla Crabs, you can catch them with a net, grab them with tweezers, set a trap, or spear them.
To prevent Gorilla Crabs from getting into your tank, inspect each rock before you place it in your aquarium.