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Xanthid Crab
Last updated on November 17th, 2023
About Xanthid Crab
Xanthid Crabs are large crabs that can come in a variety of colors and patterns including brown, red, orange, and white, with darker tips on their claws.
Xanthid crabs are bad for your reef tank and should be removed. They grow to be rather large and will try to eat small fish and shrimp within the aquarium.
How to Prevent Xanthid Crabs
You can prevent xanthid crabs by inspecting rocks being added to your reef tank. These crabs are large enough that you will be able to spot them on most things being added to your tank. You may want to treat live rock outside of the tank and not add wet live rock to any aquarium. This will help prevent xanthid crabs as well as a variety of other pests from entering your reef tank.
How to Get Rid of Xanthid Crabs
To get rid of xanthid crabs, you can use a Fish Net or Fish Trap to manually remove them from the tank. It is best to try to catch this crab at night as it is nocturnal.
What Eats Xanthid Crabs
There are no known predators for Xanthid Crabs that are safe for most reef tanks. Fish such as pufferfish and triggerfish may eat these crabs, however, they will eat all invertebrates, and some coral as well.
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