Hermit crabs?

MikeP · #1 07-12-2006, 09:14 PM

I was in a LFS the other day and he had some little hermit crabs I think they were called zebras but I could be wrong. Anyway they looked really neat, does anyone have any info on them. I thought since my tank is on the small side I would see one or two of these guys more often rather than if they were put in a big tank.

Thanks for any info

PS I would be interested in any info on hermits not just these little ones. But I have read that most of the bigger ones can be quite troublesome.

howdy20012002 · #2 07-12-2006, 09:31 PM

I have lots of hermits in my tanks
Personally I like them
I think that they do an excellent job of cleaning up any excess food or detritus. Plus I think that they are cool to watch.
However, as they grow they need shells. They will kill each other off to get those shells. So if you are going to get them, ensure that you have a few shells lying around in your tank so that it gives them a new home.
As well, they can go after your snails and kill them off as well. In fact, I have heard that zebra hermits are particularly bad at killling off snails.
Although, as far as I know, all hermits are considered reef safe, they have the tendency to knock your corals around as they climb around the rocks.
You basically have to weigh the pros and cons and see what suits you.
If you don't care about losing a few snails or have smaller corals that can get knocked around by a clumsy hermit, then a few hermits, IMO, make a nice addition to any tank
Hope this helps
Neal

Skimmer Juice · #3 07-30-2006, 04:58 AM

crabs rule!I have a few halloween crabs(the black and orange ones) A couple electric blues,a bunch of zebras,emeraldcrabs,and pom pom crabs.No problems with any of these.So I would recomend some.

EmilyB · #4 07-30-2006, 05:54 AM

You generally want the scarlett red reef safe hermits in a reef tank. I've got some awesome Hallowe'ens and Electric Blues in my FO however. You should see those buggers chase down small hermits.........

bulletsworld · #5 08-02-2006, 11:20 PM

Yeah there are pro's and con's (knocking over corals) for sure to having them. Think there great scavengers and really neat to see beating up a bigger crab & throwing his outta his shell, then running away with it. Silly comedy for me. But I have to laugh. Then feel sorry for the other dude so gives me an excuse to go shopping for shells.

Flusher · #6 08-03-2006, 05:47 AM

I used to have hermits in my tank, but I recently tossed them all in with my mantis shrimp.

I was tired of them knocking stuff around and killing my snails on occasion. They were sure fun to watch, though, and they definitely kept things clean. I might get more when I upgrade my tank.
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