EMERGENCY FORUM - Hermit from Hell!!!

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Hermit from Hell!!!

Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Help
Forum Name: EMERGENCY FORUM
Forum Description: If you have an Emergency post here and you should receive a quick reply.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=59579
Printed Date: February 16 2025 at 7:03am
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Topic: Hermit from Hell!!!

Posted By: jdubb925
Subject: Hermit from Hell!!!
Date Posted: October 10 2012 at 8:31am

So I got a nice looking little scarlet hermit crab to put in my 16 gallon bowfront.Well he is doing great and growing but at the price of my snails. The little sucker loves eating them, and he doesnt even do it for their shells. Any Ideas on how i can get him to stop? Or should I just get rid of him?

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Justin W.

Replies:

Posted By: bmac2
Date Posted: October 10 2012 at 8:38am

you get mad at a guy just cause he is hungry???? :-)

Posted By: jdubb925
Date Posted: October 10 2012 at 8:40am

haha well sometime he doesnt even eat the snails! He just kills them and leaves them for everything else in the tank to pick at! Its driving me nuts!!!

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Justin W.

Posted By: bmac2
Date Posted: October 10 2012 at 8:42am

sounds like you got a teenager crab. He eats like my 13 year old.

Posted By: Jimbo
Date Posted: October 10 2012 at 9:11am

It's certainly possible you have a snail eating Hermit but Scarlets tend to be the least aggressive hermits IME. Couple of things, are you 100% sure you have a Scarlet and not some other type of hermit? Also, are you sure your snails aren't dying and the crab is eating dead snails ?

If neither of those things, I'd definitely banish him to the sump. HTH

Posted By: Cody
Date Posted: October 10 2012 at 3:22pm

I had one of those... Lets just say he is crabby heaven.

Posted By: hydro phoenix
Date Posted: October 12 2012 at 10:29pm

I've had 2 scarlets and they do destroy the snails to see if there shells are potential homes. By the time they get really big they are docile towards smaller snails and hermits.

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recent absurdity..Unicorns have rabies

Posted By: saltysleeves
Date Posted: October 14 2012 at 8:17pm

I've had pretty good luck with scarlets being pretty safe. So do double check the ID. That said there are always those individual specimens that just can't help themselves. Doesn't matter what kind of hermits they are, the little guys compulsively check shells that are anywhere near the right size for them. They will also be forced to hunt if they are not well fed.

My plan: try to only keep snails much larger or smaller than your hermits, think nassarius, nerite and mexican turbos. The ceriths and astreas always seem to be the most picked on. Also, target feed the hermits a couple times a week to make sure they are getting enough food that they don't start feeling desperate.

In one of my picos, the two scarlet hermits are the only things that really need any feeding, so I pull them out a couple times a week and put them in a bowl with a 1/2" of tank water and a small dollop of zoomed hermit crab canned food. Give them a couple hours to stuff themselves and then back to the tank they go. Then the dish gets dumped and washed. Water quality stays high, and they leave the snails alone. If you are still having issues, your rogue specimen may need a new home, or if he really is destructive, you might consider making him into a crabsickle.

Posted By: rfoote
Date Posted: October 14 2012 at 8:46pm

I'm suprised anyone can really keep track of crabs/snails... I figure this just part of maintaining a tank, and add a few every couple of months. I do definitely prefer trocus or top crown(astrea undosa) snails as they right themselves if they fall.