Hermit Crabs

[Morri]

As I am adding saltwater to the cube I started thinking about CuC and wondered which hermit crabs did the best job in the tank

I have dwarf blue legs in mine and they are always on the go climbing over rocks etc.

I think I would prefer the Halloween Crabs as they are nicer colours but I still them to clean the tank are the halloweens as good cleaners as the blue legs or are there any other options to hermits for cleaning the tank (No Skunk Shrimp going in).

 

[jtnova13]

i like the dwarf blues because they stay small so they don't disturb my corals.

I haven't had experience with the bigger ones, but i've heard they can hurt corals by covering them in sand or moving them if not attached.

 

[youngfisher]

When I started marines, I loved the thought of hermit crabs - now I carnt stand them. They were PITA if you buy frags theres a high chance a hermit will knock it off the rock.

 

[AK77]

Hermit crabs are great! They are really interesting to watch and its funny when they squabble over food.

The micro blue legs that you have are good. They remain small, are reef safe and are very peaceful. The mexican reds are also a good addition. They are pretty much the same as the blues, although their colours are much more vibrant and cost double the price. Still, well worth getting though.

Tibicans are also great. They have a big white claw and a smaller one and do a good job of picking up missed food. They tend to move a lot faster than the micro hermits and have a broader appetite for food. The mexican red and mithrax that I currently have, don't seem to be too interested in direct feeding from pellets that I put in, whereas a tibican would.

Blue knuckles are also a nice hermit to have. They are generally peaceful and scavenge quite quickly. They are sometimes called electric blues. There is also an orange stripped species as well, although these tend to be harder to come by. The blue knuckles and the tibicans tend to work the sandbed a lot more than the rocks in my old tank. I suppose it was a better source of food.

Halloweens I have not owned but, have heard mixed experiences with them. They have been known to pick on the smaller hermits, snails and the like. I've even heard of cases of them killing fish. I should imagine this would be with the larger specimens though.

If it were me, I'd have 2 micro blues, 2 mexican reds, a tibican and a blue knuckle. As your tank is pretty much the same size as mine, I'd also suggest getting a conch. My orange lipped conch does a brilliant job of cleaning and aerating the sandbed. It also burrows into the sand of a night time, or when alarmed. Its cute to see just a little eyeball poking up through the sand lol. Other than that, I'd get 3-4 trochus or astrea snails to clean the glass. Don't bother with vibex, as the conch does what they would, only much much better

 

[Morri]

Thanks AK I was leaning more towards the dwarf blues I will be adding a conch not sure on orange lip mine is a fighting conch are they the same?

Guessing the conch replaces the Nass snails ?

Will most prob hold out for banded trocheous.

Will be getting the LR today taking a load of salted water and poly boxes hoping to cycle in 2 weeks the LR has been in the guys tank for 4 years so should be cured

 

[Donya]

The micro blue legs that you have are good. They remain small, are reef safe and are very peaceful.

If this is Clibanarius tricolor, depending on what constitutes "small," these tend to be sold as youngsters and they are not certain to stay "small" if provided with ample shells, food, and space. The same is true for several other species I've seen commonly sold under the "dwarf" label. Although not all grow to reach a significant size (I've had one for over a year that is growing extremely slowly...growth rate does vary), it's not uncommon for some members of the smaller Clibanarius species to reach the same average sizes as species like Calcinus laevimanus and Paguristes cadenati, taking shells in the 1.5"/3-4cm range relatively frequently. Perhaps that's what you meant by "small," but many people seem to be under the impression that when they buy Clibanarius tricolor as "micro hermits" living in shells a fraction of that size that they won't grow much beyond that.

Guessing the conch replaces the Nass snails ?

Nassarius are usually hardier and easier eaters, and the two don't have completely overlapping diets usually. At any rate, conches are gastropods that are not a good choice for a brand new tank. Let the system mature a while before adding conches and see how the food supply goes. In nanos, a conch may require target feeding.

If it were me, I'd have 2 micro blues, 2 mexican reds, a tibican and a blue knuckle.

Mixing species is a good way to create unwanted aggression amongst hermit crabs unless the tank is enormous, especially when using the fuzzy common names that could refer to several different types depending on the store and region. Clibanarius tricolor, C. digueti, and C. erythropus will sometimes play nice with an average stocking density (emphasis on "sometimes"), but if you end up with a size disparity between the species then the small ones could easily be at risk. Calcinus species in particular (I assume you're referring to Calcinus tibicen) are risky with smaller Cliabnarius.

 

[Morri]

Thanks Donya I will be buying my first crabs in a few weeks and will buy 3 - 4 of whatever the LFS has normally Blue dwarfs or 2 Halloweens but was going to stay with the same species.

The Conch is currently in my main tank and happily munching away in there will move him to new tank in 12 weeks or so

I will not add any more CUC over the crabs until needed algae growth etc.