Crabs on the Reef

People often ask “what else” I have in the reef, aside from seahorses: Three emerald crabs–who have no names, because it’s difficult to tell them apart, and also because they haven’t been with me long enough to receive or deserve them. If and when they become distinguishable, either in appearance or by behavior, we’ll give them names. Three porcelain crabs–Ripley, Small, and Alien Queen–who, though not “true crabs,” are easy to spot and smart enough to eat from the feeding tube I use with the seahorses. I also have about two dozen tiny red-legged hermits, which inhabit shells that range

Read more

Photobombing Crabs of the Reef

I take a lot of aquarium photographs, both for myself and to share on the blog and social media. When I can, I take the time to frame the shots to minimize the need for edits–and when I can’t, I often crop the photographs for best effect. When you spend enough time photographing a subject, you notice certain patterns–some the result of photographer’s bias (for example, my tendency to photograph Magellan more than the other seahorses on the reef) and some that emerge from the subject itself. Three porcelain crabs (the pictured one is my oldest female, Ripley): Crabs, and hermits particularly, fill an important role

Read more