Boxer Crab

[Lars K]

This is a picture of my Boxer Crab (Lybia tesselata) which I kept for some months ago.

It's a small Crab species with a size of around 0,5“.

They carry a pair of tiny symbiotic Anemones between their claws!

The Boxer Crab uses the Anemones for warding predators.

It looks very funny when the Crab waves their claws with the Anemones, hence the name Boxer Crab.

That reminds of a dancing Cheerleader with the pom poms, therefore they are also called Pom Pom Crab.

The Crab gets some protection from the Anemones and the Anemones get leftovers from the Crab.

 

[method]

lol that thing is awesome Lars never heard of them before, do you have anymore pics

 

[Kyro]

Wow Lars you keep some pretty strange critters,lol, thanks for sharing

 

[Lars K]

lol that thing is awesome Lars never heard of them before, do you have anymore pics

Hehe, thanks!!!

No sorry I don't have any other pics of the little guy!!!

It was always very shy and disappeared very fast when I approached with the camera,
therefore the shot isn't the best!!!

 

[DameJacquie]

That is so cute!

 

[Lars K]

Wow Lars you keep some pretty strange critters,lol, thanks for sharing

Thank you very much and you're welcome!!!

 

[Lozza]

That's so cool - great pic, thanks for sharing Lars
I just wrote about those little fellas in my last exam

 

[RevDaniel]

very interesting

 

[Lars K]

Thank you all for the nice comments!!!

That's so cool - great pic, thanks for sharing Lars
I just wrote about those little fellas in my last exam

Wow Lauren, that's awesome that you wrote something about these interesting guys!!!

 

[hornet]

how did you keep them? still plan on getting a marine tank going oneday and these guys would be awsome to keep.

 

[Moreliaman]

Lars, how many have you got ? i know you can keep more than 1 but it obviously it depends on the size of the tank, i had about 3 in a 250ltr tank, they also use the anemones to strike at small fish and will steal larger bits of food from them.
1 i had lost one if its anemones & when it met up with another, it used to try and steal that crabs anemones.
Do you put any invert food in for the anemones ?

I know what you mean by fast, heres the best pic i ever got of 1:|

 

[Lars K]

how did you keep them? still plan on getting a marine tank going oneday and these guys would be awsome to keep.

I kept them in a 30 l nano tank with around 6 kg live rocks which means that there were
many hiding places and caves for the crabs.
As fishes there lived a pair of Amblyeleotris guttata and a single Amblygobius rainfordi.
They were very calm fishes and didn't disturb the crabs.
I used a small drift-pump with a circulation of 500 l/h.
The water temperature was around the 25°C.

 

[Lars K]

Lars, how many have you got ? i know you can keep more than 1 but it obviously it depends on the size of the tank, i had about 3 in a 250ltr tank, they also use the anemones to strike at small fish and will steal larger bits of food from them.
1 i had lost one if its anemones & when it met up with another, it used to try and steal that crabs anemones.
Do you put any invert food in for the anemones ?

I know what you mean by fast, heres the best pic i ever got of 1:|

Wow, that's a very beautiful crab and a good shot!!!

I kept a pair of them in 30 litres and it worked quite good!!!

They had a lot of hiding places and the female was even carrying some eggs with her!

And yes, I used two different invert foods!

 

[hornet]

wernt overly difficult to keep?

 

[Frozenmouse]

that is heaps cool. thanks.

 

[tommygun295]

if u put 2 boxing crabs in a tank do they have a boxing match??

 

[Vala]

awesome crab mate!

 

[Moreliaman]

if u put 2 boxing crabs in a tank do they have a boxing match??

LOL......mine didnt, 9/10 times when they met they just seemed to gingerly walk past eachother waving their anemones at eachother....and then scarpered off in opposite directions

I saw one of my females with little pinkish/orangey egg's but nothing ever came from them:?
Quite easy to keep hornet, just becareful what other inhabitants you put in.....i'd say best kept how lars is doing it in a small nano tank with lots of live rock & other small peacful fish.

 

[ytamarin]

when they met they just seemed to gingerly walk past eachother waving their anemones at eachother....and then scarpered off in opposite directions

Hahahaha
"Hey cheerleader, you wanna fight? Meet you in the carpark after school!"
"Yeh fo sure, bring it ooonnnnnn crabby!"

 

[Lars K]

Thanks for the nice comments!!!

wernt overly difficult to keep?

Hornet, it's just like Moreliaman said, they are very easy to keep and it's best
to keep them in a small nano tank with no or very calm and peaceful fishes!!!

if u put 2 boxing crabs in a tank do they have a boxing match??

Hahahahaha, awesome!!!

saw one of my females with little pinkish/orangey egg's but nothing ever came from them

Yes exactly Moreliaman, the eggs were orange.