Yellow Hawaiian Strawberry Crab

Yellow Hawaiian Strawberry Crab should be housed with accessible rock crevices and room to forage. Strawberry-crab trade names describe attractive animals, but colour and naming do not establish the feeding habits or temperament of every crab sold under them.

Provide a mixture of algae-based marine food and small meaty items, and watch which foods the crab actually eats. Supplements need to reach the rockwork where it shelters. Do not rely on the presence of a nuisance alga as evidence that the crab has a sufficient diet.

Assess reef compatibility cautiously. Opportunistic crabs can take food or animals that an aquarist wants to protect, so monitor interactions with small invertebrates and coral tissue and be prepared to separate persistent offenders. Leave cover available while the shell hardens after moulting, and avoid fish that specialise in eating crustaceans.