The Arrow Crab is named because of its head and body which looks like a crab. It has notable long legs. The males are larger than the females. The Arrow Crab?s quick speed crawling with the help of these long legs, and may also attack small slower moving fish in the aquarium. It is known to feed on bristle worms as well as feather dusters. The Arrow Crab are considered reef safe if are properly fed with foods like meaty, flake and tablet foods. Breeding this species is quite difficult in captivity. The Arrow Crab can grow up to six inches and therefore we recommend you to keep it in a larger aquarium. It inhabits small caves or crevices, so lots of rockwork is required to be added in your beautiful tank. The Arrow Crab is hardy, long lived invertebrate that can be housed in the reef tank and also makes a valuable addition to the same. It is known to attack crustaceans such as Banded Coral Shrimp, and slow moving fish, therefore this crab should be combined with selected species only. The Arrow Crab should be kept singly and should not be kept with similar species, since it may turn aggressive towards other inhabitants.
The Arrow Crab is brown in color with claws that are usually tipped in purple. They have a small triangular shaped body with a pointed head and long hinged legs. Their legs extend straight to keep predators at bay. Arrow Crabs are tremendous scavengers and are highly sought after for their diet of Bristle Worms and Flat Worms. They are very easy to care for and frequently found hiding in floating Sargassum in Florida and the Caribbean. Only one should be kept per tank and they should only be kept in larger tanks.Crabs belong to the Class Crustacea and Order Decapoda, which is characterized by two pair of antennae, three body parts, and five pairs of legs. The head of a Crab is connected to the thorax and covered by a shell called carapace. They have a smaller abdomen and tail compared to Shrimp and they keep this tucked beneath the carapace. The first pair of their legs are usually developed claws which they use to gather food, use as protection, and to move objects. In order for Crabs to grow they need to shed their exoskeleton, a process called "molting", which allows them to remove their restricting shell and begin a new one. Often times in the home aquarium Crabs will leave this translucent shell in full view so it can serve as a distraction while the Crab finds a hiding place and allows its new shell to harden.Photo by Saltwaterfish.com member, Isistius: Jeff Gartner
