Bad Hermit???
 

So I found this hermit in my tank which I thought at one point was a red scarlet. Now he is looking a rusty brown so either lost his color or not a red scarlet. Who knows. Anyways I put him in an isolation box with some frags of a coral to see what he does and caught him holding onto one today and the skin has peeled from the piece (could be cause its siting in water with no flow). Bad hermit?


http://i1150.photobucket.com/albums/...307_084338.jpg

Not sure which species it is, but it's not a Scarlet. I wouldn't let him in my reef, but that's not to say he may be perfectly safe. Peeling doesn't sound like damage caused by him, rather he's eating the dying tissue.

Tough to say what happened to the coral. I know my hermits will eat the dead flesh as Myka stated.

It's strange I've only ever bought blue legged and Scarlets. He must have somehow slipped into one of my buys. Either way he's gone now.

My blues didn't last! I think my angels ate them, but still have all my red tipped.