Leather coral eating Emerald crab?

[newfisher]

My leather corals have not been "out" as much lately and thought is was due to a flatworm issue that my leopard wrasse is ignoring,but caught an Emerald crab violently tearing at the skin tonight. Anybody have a softy eating emerald? Should I ban her to the sump? Thanks.

[Michael7979]

Is it eating the coral flesh?

Or is it eating the 'slime' that a coral produces?

[Saltfinsax]

I would think the crab was just getting some of the algae or dead stuff if any on it. put the crab in the sump for a wile till the leather heals or is looking better.

Crabs will always opportunistic eaters.

[newfisher]

Eating or tearing the flesh. Its just starting to make a hole and is picking pieces from around the hole.

[impur]

Wish my emeralds would start eating the sinularia that i can't get out of my tank to frag (laugh)

[nwcoralfarm]

Leather coral eating Emerald crab? I have never heard of a leather that will eat an Emerald Crab, ha ha. Seriously though, chances are he is not eating it but could be picking at it and your leather is closing up due to being bothered.

[newfisher]

Its the closest coral to the glass and yes it is closed up,but definately has a small hole in the outer flesh the size of a paper match head. I would post a pic,but dang phone and photbucket don't get along.

[undrtkr_00]

Yeah, I had an emerald that started eating on the flesh of my pagoda cup. The polyps he munched looked healthy otherwise, so I don't think you could say he was after dead/dying flesh. I have heard of emeralds gaining an appetite for corals if they don't have enough other food in the tank. I banished mine to the sump.

[ReeFit]

both my emerald crabs and sallylightfoots like green star polyp slime, forage through the hydnopora, works on the clams and sometimes will pick at the polyps. I usually target feed my crabs with dried seaweed when i feed the tangs. they love it and it keeps their aggressive foraging down.

[newfisher]

Thanks for the nori trick. I'm gonna band a piece to some rubble and try it.

[talkalot82]

I had an emerald nip at everything I had in that tank. he loves polyps and zoos. couldnt catch the bugger.. I just started putting in algae clip with algae and walla it stopped. just kept switching up the algae types to keep the crab interested. but the leathers were always a problem with them. not because the crab was eating it but because leathers wont come out is something is on them all the time. and mine just never fed because the crab walked on it to clean it of debre all the time and the leather became sick so I moved the leather to a crab free tank and now its doing alot better. but you may just want to get your crab to the sump