Red Emerald Crab

The Red Emerald Crab is a red mithrax-type crab that spends much of its time clinging to rockwork. Its flattened gripping claws can scrape algae from surfaces, and it may consume several kinds of fleshy or filamentous growth, including bubble algae.

Choose it for an established aquarium that has both hiding spaces and food to forage. This crab is an omnivore, so algae removal is not its only feeding behavior. Supply suitable marine algae foods and small portions of meaty food when the aquarium's natural food becomes limited; a perfectly clean tank is not an unlimited food source.

Monitor its contact with corals and other small animals. Coral picking has been reported, so a red body does not confer a guarantee of reef compatibility. Match the number of crabs to the available feeding area, and retain a practical way to separate a troublesome individual.