Who Removes Gall Crabs?
I recently purchased a Trachyphyllia geoffroyi and, as is quite common with these corals, it came with a hitchhiker - a Gall Crab.
I understand that these crabs don't cause any significant damage to the coral - they don't actually bore into the coral but rather settle on the coral as a juvenile and the corals grows around them.
On this occasion I decided to remove it ...
This is the tell tale sign of a gall crab - it uses its tail to block its hole
After its removal - the hole was about 15mm deep
And, the crab - they are not the nicest looking thing I have seen :)
It will be interesting to see how long it takes for the coral to grow over the hole.
I understand that these crabs don't cause any significant damage to the coral - they don't actually bore into the coral but rather settle on the coral as a juvenile and the corals grows around them.
On this occasion I decided to remove it ...
This is the tell tale sign of a gall crab - it uses its tail to block its hole
After its removal - the hole was about 15mm deep
And, the crab - they are not the nicest looking thing I have seen :)
It will be interesting to see how long it takes for the coral to grow over the hole.
