The scavengers and the reef-dwellers – emerald crabs are characterized by their common name. These small green crabs are popular additions to reef tanks for their cleaning habits.

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Considering their feeding habits, emerald crabs are scrapers, trimming the algae off the rocks. Their feeding also includes food particles from detritus available readily in the water.

Being opportunistic eaters, emerald crabs can feed on virtually anything to sustain themselves. Read on to learn more about “what do emerald crabs eat?”

Insects, Animals, and Fish

Just like other crabs, emerald crabs also utilize their sharp claws to scrape off the food. Their one claw helps them hold the food, while they use another hand to eat it.

This is sort of similar to that of other animals, utilizing their hands to grab and eat. Emerald crabs feed primarily on uneaten food at the bottom or around the coral.

However, they might feed on other aquatic organisms that are too small. That said, emerald crabs fish, vermetid snails, snails, anemones, peppermint shrimp, starfish, sps, and zoas. They might or might not harm your fish or snails, but they can gulp them down if they aren’t well fed. Plus, emerald crabs eat worms and bristle worms as well.

Fruit, Vegetables, and Plants

Although they mostly graze the tank for uneaten food, emerald crabs also consume a plant-based diet. They can easily cut the algae and other species of plants to collect food for them.

Hence, emerald crabs eat algae, hair algae, bubble algae, brown algae, hair algae, green hair algae, and macroalgae. Together with these, emerald crabs also prefer picking at other various plants. Adapted to feeding on other plants and algae, emerald crabs eat coral, diatoms, bryopsis, chaeto, and cyano.

What emerald crabs don’t eat?

Emerald crabs don’t eat aiptasia, Acropora, cleaner shrimp, clams, copepods, shrimp, feather dusters, flatworms, hermit crabs, or live rock.