About Crabs Species
Arrowhead Crab
When one mention about crabs, the first thing that would happen is that you will start to drool. I mean who doesn’t like crabs? Eating the crustacean is one thing, but keeping them alive in the reef tank is a totally different story.
Certain aquarists have developed a passion for keeping crabs. Although they offer little aesthetic value and are sometimes known to wreck havoc in the community tank, some people actually prefer them over marine shrimps for their scavenging ability. Those pet crabs that people usually keep are the Nimble Crab and the Arrowhead Crab. Quite often the names of these crabs were confused with a more generic term called Sally Lightfoot Crab and these names are often used interchangeably.
Arrowhead is the preferred choice among aquarist because they are good at hunting bristleworms which are considered pests in the reef tank. It is recommended that a huge aquarium be provided because they are known to sometimes attack fish and they are extremely intolerant to the presence of their own species. Crustaceans although are well-protected by their shell and as in the case of crabs, have nothing to fear from but however, certain species of marine fishes actually can make a good meal out of them. Some crabs have evolved to create a special symbiotic relationship especially with the anemones which the crabs hides inside the host and in return for the protection offered by the anemones, the crab supply bits of leftover foods which are easily picked up by its host.
Other special crabs like the hermit crabs (Dardanus) rely on empty shells as a form of protection and they are thought to be colorful as they can be found in wide range of colors like yellow, green, red and even blue. Sometimes it is very relaxing to see what these invertebrates are up to daily, sometimes moving around and looking busy scavenging for foods, and perhaps these traits are what attracted the aquarist in the first place.
Certain aquarists have developed a passion for keeping crabs. Although they offer little aesthetic value and are sometimes known to wreck havoc in the community tank, some people actually prefer them over marine shrimps for their scavenging ability. Those pet crabs that people usually keep are the Nimble Crab and the Arrowhead Crab. Quite often the names of these crabs were confused with a more generic term called Sally Lightfoot Crab and these names are often used interchangeably.
Arrowhead is the preferred choice among aquarist because they are good at hunting bristleworms which are considered pests in the reef tank. It is recommended that a huge aquarium be provided because they are known to sometimes attack fish and they are extremely intolerant to the presence of their own species. Crustaceans although are well-protected by their shell and as in the case of crabs, have nothing to fear from but however, certain species of marine fishes actually can make a good meal out of them. Some crabs have evolved to create a special symbiotic relationship especially with the anemones which the crabs hides inside the host and in return for the protection offered by the anemones, the crab supply bits of leftover foods which are easily picked up by its host.
Other special crabs like the hermit crabs (Dardanus) rely on empty shells as a form of protection and they are thought to be colorful as they can be found in wide range of colors like yellow, green, red and even blue. Sometimes it is very relaxing to see what these invertebrates are up to daily, sometimes moving around and looking busy scavenging for foods, and perhaps these traits are what attracted the aquarist in the first place.
