# Crab catchin'



## carmenh (Dec 20, 2009)

Anyone have any tricks for catching a rock crab? His hole is in a rock that is NOT removable without disassembling my whole reef... 
I've been trying a glass bottle, tilted, with a nice yummy scallop in it, but he's not falling for it. This crab has never eaten anything (that I know of) besides stomatellas, but I want to get my mandarin in and don't want to risk it!


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## PACMAN (Mar 4, 2010)

can you stab him with a meat skewer? and then grill him up afterwards?

if not, try a different bait in the trap?


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## characinfan (Dec 24, 2008)

Maybe a chunk of stomatella in the jar?


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## carmenh (Dec 20, 2009)

He's made the rock into a tunnel with 2 "doors" and a cave off of the main corridor. I don't want to kill him, but at one point I tried to push him out with a length of tubing but his "safe room" is unreachable! I'm really starting to think he's smarter than me! 
I just want to catch him and he can live in my other tank, assuming he can hide from my puffer as well as he hides from me!


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## carmenh (Dec 20, 2009)

But he can have stomatella any time, it needs to be something tastier. I tried a different bottle a while ago, with scallop, and he loved it. But the bottle was too short so he grabbed it and escaped back into his cave...



characinfan said:


> Maybe a chunk of stomatella in the jar?


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## Y2KGT (Jul 20, 2009)

A couple of years ago I picked up an Aqua Medic Fish Trap to catch a fish in my African Cichlid tank. I used it once and then put it back in the box so if you're interested let me know. Its like brand new.

http://www.bigalsonline.ca/Fish_Accessories_Traps_Fish-Trap_8031489_102.html?tc=default

I'd sell it for $40.
--
Paul


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## rrobbiiee (Dec 4, 2010)

I found the best way to catch a crab is to turn off all filters/powerheads, lure them out with food, then use good 'ol fashioned chopsticks to pick them up...no crab can escape chopsticks!


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## carmenh (Dec 20, 2009)

If only it was that easy. He's got such a good ongoing food source (stomatellas) that he's never hungry enough to take a chance...
I have a feeling there's a huge rock re-org in my future :-(



rrobbiiee said:


> I found the best way to catch a crab is to turn off all filters/powerheads, lure them out with food, then use good 'ol fashioned chopsticks to pick them up...no crab can escape chopsticks!


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## aquanutt (Aug 27, 2010)

carmenh said:


> Anyone have any tricks for catching a rock crab? His hole is in a rock that is NOT removable without disassembling my whole reef...
> I've been trying a glass bottle, tilted, with a nice yummy scallop in it, but he's not falling for it. This crab has never eaten anything (that I know of) besides stomatellas, but I want to get my mandarin in and don't want to risk it!


Goodluck with that, I ended up taking out the whole rock and now the crab lives in a sump...

its hard to catch these guys...
cheers


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## Sunstar (Jul 29, 2008)

I wonder if that was why I ran out of stomatella. that pink crab I had hiding in the rock.


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## Cypher (Apr 15, 2006)

Honestly he sounds like a cool crab lol. Got any pics of the crab? Funny I've never had any hitchhikers like that .


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## carmenh (Dec 20, 2009)

Don't know if you meant mine or Sunstars or Aquanutts...
I could never get a pic of mine but this is exactly like him...












Cypher said:


> Honestly he sounds like a cool crab lol. Got any pics of the crab? Funny I've never had any hitchhikers like that .


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## Cypher (Apr 15, 2006)

LOL, he looks evil with those red eyes. I guess crabs sound cool until they're in your system. Just the way you described his behavior or creating a 2 door tunnel with a den was interesting to me anyways.


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## carmenh (Dec 20, 2009)

He was quite cool, I like critters with a spicey attitude 



Cypher said:


> LOL, he looks evil with those red eyes. I guess crabs sound cool until they're in your system. Just the way you described his behavior or creating a 2 door tunnel with a den was interesting to me anyways.


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## matt210g (Apr 24, 2009)

*Hitch hiking Crab*

I too went through a gammet of attempts to catch a small crab. In the end i took the rock out and had to chisel open his cave to remove him. Tried freshwater dip and little snot still wouldn`t come out


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