Hermit Crab 101:

[wax32]

[Repost of previous broken thread.]
I thought it would be useful to have a thread for hermit crab info. I'll start by posting the ones I have. Feel free to post up shots of any different ones you may have! I'll add a brief description for them as I can...
Be aware that this is all anecdotal information based upon my personal observations and research. So...
-- ACTUAL RESULTS MAY VARY! --

 

[wax32]

Clibanarius tricolor, "Blue Leg Hermit"

The most common hermit in our tanks. Often purchased TINY, this crab stays small, only growing to about 1 inch in size.
Hailing from the Carribbean, they are rumored to voraciously eat snails. I believe they only eat snails when they are starving!
Commonly wears small Cerithium and Astraea shells.

 

[wax32]

Calcinus elegans, "Electric Blue Hermit"

From the Indo-Pacific. Also called the "Blue Knuckle Hermit". Grows pretty large... 2 inches or so. More aggressive than your average "dwarf" hermit, but I have never had a problem mixing smaller crabs with them. They are more expensive. I paid 5 bucks each for mine, some places sell them for as much as 10 bucks a piece. You will need some larger shells available for these guys. Turbo shells work well.
Update: may be more sensitive to water quality, mine eventually all disappeared.

 

[wax32]

Calcinus elegans, "Electric Orange Hermit"
(Hawaiian variant of Electric Blue)

Note that this is NOT the so-called "Halloween Hermit"...

 

[wax32]

Calcinus tibicen, "Orange Claw Hermit"

These are my favorite hermits!!
From the Carribbean, they often come in with shipments of blue legs, so they are cheap. I paid a buck each for mine. You have to have a sharp eye to see them in the dealer's tank. These get rather large and aggressive like the electric blues, but again, no problems with them and smaller hermits other than a little intimidation.

 

[wax32]

Clibanarius sp., "Mexican Red Tip Hermit"

Another common, cheap hermit. The fish stores around me don't stock it on purpose, but they get mixed in sometimes. You can get them for a buck or less most places online. Stays very small, less than 1 inch. The one I have rode out Hurricane Katrina in my sump. Since the storm, it got into my overflow and was in there for a few weeks before I got it out along with my spotted mandarin and orangespot blenny who had also jumped in!

 

[wax32]

Calcinus laevimanus, "Hawaiian Zebra Hermit"

These exotic looking hermits come from Hawaii, obviously. They get a little bigger than blue legs or mexican red tips, but they are still a relatively small species.
Zebra hermits are also called left handed crabs because one claw is bigger than the other. This is a trait common to all crabs of the Calcinus genus.
Usually cheap, they are pretty small when you buy them. Make sure to have some small shells for them to play in.
These are able to run really fast backwards when a larger hermit comes near. They are comical to watch, their blue eyes stand out against their black and white coloration.

 

[wax32]

Paguristes cadenati, "Scarlet Reef Hermit"

Ahh. The scarlet hermit: sissy of the hermit crab world. This crab stays small, only growing to about 1.5 inches. It is also pretty to look at and is relatively peaceful. Is it any wonder this is such a popular hermit?
The scarlet usually costs more than the more common dwarf species (zebras, blue legs, et al.). In the past, I have paid 2 - 5 dollars each.

 

[rattler739]

You should post some info on the staghorn hermits (the ones that have a coral for a shell) those are more expensive but thats all i know about them.
REALLY COOL THOUGH

 

[wax32]

Clibanarius sp., Unidentified Hermit

This is another common Carribbean hermit, coming in mixed with blue legs. The ones I have owned seem to stay pretty small, growing a little larger than the blue legs. Typically reside in Cerithium and Astraea shells.
I can't seem to find a species name for it at all, only the genus. I think it is so boring that they haven't gotten around to officially describing it yet.
This is a VERY hardy species.

 

[wax32]

This crab photo courtesy of Adamc1303:
Dardanus guttatus, "Blue Knee Hermit"

From the Indo-Pacific (Vanuatu is one collection site), these omnivorous crabs get large. I have seen them in 4 inch Conus shells. Not considered reef safe. Not sure if it if from their eating habits or just that they get big and can bulldoze things. This particular one seems to be eating meat (like most hermits will).
Also eats cyanobacteria.

 

[wax32]

Unidentified Hermit

I have no clue as to the ID on these guys. I came across these in a batch of blue leg hermits, so I assume they are from the Carribbean. I have seen them offered for sale (CHEAP), labled as "right handed hermits" at a website dedicated to critters from the Florida Keys. I'd hazard a guess that they stay small, similar to blue legs. The ones I have are all in Cerithium shells.
One claw is way LONGER than the other. Their legs are also longer than average. They are mostly colorless, with thin tannish bands on their legs.
I like to call these: "Albino Blood-Sucking Spiders from Mars". Kind of creepy looking, they are a VERY active hermit and can move pretty darn fast. They are aggressive and do a great job of eating detritus and micro algae from the live rock.

 

[wax32]

I don't own this crab... thanks to CELACANTHr for sending me a link to this picture.

Ciliopagurus strigatus, Halloween Hermit Crab

These come from the Indo-Pacific. I have seen them offered for sale labeled as collected in Hawaii. Some say they are reef safe, some say not. I have heard they eat cyanobacteria. They are also said to reach an adult size of "several inches".
I have no first hand experience with these. Anyone with such experience feel free to chime in.
This genus appears to have 7 species that appear similar. Some seem to have a thick body (like the crabs from Calcinus) and some appear to have a thin body (like the crabs from Dardanus).
The thin ones (like this picture) often wear Conus shells. I haven't seen a shot of a thick one in a shell, only preserved.

 

[rainmkr07]

Since it's Hermit Crab 101, can I ask a newbie question about them? I will be adding a Clean Up Crew in a few weeks, and was initially planning on a 50/50 mix of small, reef safe hermit crabs (probably scarlet) and snails (probably turbo). However, the more I look into it, the more I hear that hermit crabs sometimes are not so reef safe, they like to kill snails, and only clean rocks and sand. Snails however, can clean sand, rock, and the glass of the tank, are reef safe, and don't kill each other or other inverts. So I guess my question is this. If someone wanted a good CUC that was 100% reef safe, why wouldn't they get 100% Snails, instead of 50% Snails and 50% Hermit Crabs?

 

[wax32]

SURE!
99% of the hermits offered in clean-up crew packs are "reef safe". That said, even the "safest" hermit "can" eat other critters, including snails. I am of the opinion that hermits only eat snails when they are starving. Hermits starve because of one factor: too many hermits and/or snails competing for too little algae or other food. Snails are able to eat tiny micro-algae that some hermits are just not equipped to handle. So, the snails might have enough to eat, but the hermits don't. The hermits might then begin to eat the snails and each other.
To avoid this: don't add too many at once, especially before you have a healthy algae growth in your tank.
Since clean-up crew packs tend to be LARGE, I recommend buying your hermits and snails a few at a time, if possible, from your local fish store.

 

[kidreef]

wow thx for the info and i havent seen u in a while

 

[rattler739]

Staghorn Hermit

Ill try to find info on them for you all

 

[seasalt dreams]

haha holy that thing is crazy looking! Well I have learned to avoid blueleg hermits in my tank, they kill all my snails. I use scarletts now.

 

[rattler739]

(Manucomplanus Varians)
Type of hard coral: SPS
Size: The Staghorn Hermit Crab may grow to 3 inches.
Diet: Omnivore.
Feeding: It likes to eat eats meaty bits of seafood, algae and detritus.
Behavior: The is generally semi-aggressive toward other tankmates.
Care: Many consider the a low-maintenance specimen. Not Venemous
Lighting: Has strong lighting needs.
Water flow: The requires moderate water flow.
General notes: Incredibly interesting addition to your tank. The shell is a piece of acropora or encrusting montipora and requires high lighting. The hermit will help eat hair algae. This animal needs room to move and will require more space than most hermits. The shell is difficult to manuver around with.
Water parameters: Keep water quality high (SG 1.023 - 1.025, pH 8.1 - 8.4, Temp. 72 - 78° F).
Origin: The Staghorn Hermit Crab is commonly collected from Sea of Cortez.

 

[rattler739]

(Manucomplanus Varians)
Type of hard coral: SPS
Size: The Staghorn Hermit Crab grows to about 3 inches
Diet: Omnivore
Feeding: It likes to eat eats meaty bits of seafood, algae and detritus
Behavior: The is generally semi-aggressive towards tankmates
Care: Many consider the a low-maintenance specimen
Lighting: strong lighting
Water flow: The requires moderate water flow
General notes: Incredibly interesting addition to your tank. The shell is a piece of acropora or encrusting montipora which requires high lighting. The hermit will help eat hair algae. This animal needs room to move and will require more space than most hermit crabs. It is difficult to manuver around with the SPS shell.
Water parameters: Keep water quality high
Origin: The Staghorn Hermit Crab is collected from Sea of Cortez