What's gonna happen to my tank?

[meemoo]

So this afternoon I go to the beach with my son and as usual we go hunting for rock crabs. We let them all go back to the beach but one baby he begged me to take home. I just noticed he decided to put it into my reef tank with the two periwinkles we got at the beach as well. I doubt these guys are reef safe although they look alot like emerald crabs but they are brown. Anyone have a guess as to what might happen down the road with this guy?

 

[penguinsix]

He, and the periwinkles will probably die because they are coldwater species and your tank is too warm for them.

 

[fanaglethebagle]

Yeah, the cold water/ saltwater exchange does not fare well with most animals

 

[sw300galma]

Short time they will be dead......although stranger things have happened like Lion fish in the atlantic...

 

[AngeloM]

it is possible they survive...........

every year there is a huge migration of tropical fish that come up to Newport... a couple of my LFS go to Newport mid-July with nets and they catch everything from Tangs to Squirelfish

 

[fanaglethebagle]

Below the cape = semi warm- you can get puffers and other oddities there

Above the cape= brrrr

There is always the possibility of survival

 

[shawn]

Periwinkels may not die from the temperature (they do just fine in hot tidepools), but they often crawl out of the water as they are an intertidal species, and then die from being continuously exposed (we don't have tides). Don't know about the crab - keep an eye on it and pull it out if it causes trouble or if it dies. In general, people haven't had good results with local species in tropical reef tanks.

 

[Jocko]

I'm not sure about the crab you got, but the rock crabs that people sometimes get as hitchikers on TBS rock are famous for getting big quickly and re-aquascaping your tank. And from what I've read, they don't have a very good sense of aesthetics.

 

[meemoo]

That's what I am afaind of, I know my son thought he was doing something good but after seeing some big one's at the beach I can only hope it dies. I have not seen it since he put it in my tank, I will probably see it in 6 months attacking my purple tang.

I'm not sure about the crab you got, but the rock crabs that people sometimes get as hitchikers on TBS rock are famous for getting big quickly and re-aquascaping your tank. And from what I've read, they don't have a very good sense of aesthetics.