ARH many of my hermit crabs are missing!

[gdleader]

ERRR just about every day I'm seeing my electric blue and burgendy hermit crabs are missing! I have a foxface and a Yellow Watchman currently in my tank. I think that the Yellow Watchman is eating them...I feed him very well with brine 2x a day I don't see how he could still be hungry! Do Yellow Watchman eat hermit crabs? If so he's got to go!!

 

[seannmelly]

i dont think its your watchman, you might have a mantis shrimp, do you hear any clicking?

 

[the j.o.p.]

here we go. blame the MANTIS as usual!!! lol

 

[frankthetank]

Haha.... could be a mantis. Is that all you have in your tank?

 

[gdleader]

i never bought a mantis shrimp I only have 2 pepperment shrimp a watchman and a foxface and matrix crabs 2 and snails... Arg...those blue electric hermits cost me a lot...errr

 

[the j.o.p.]

the mantis could be a hitchhiker on your live rock.

 

[frankthetank]

Originally Posted by GDLeader
i never bought a mantis shrimp I only have 2 pepperment shrimp a watchman and a foxface and matrix crabs 2 and snails... Arg...those blue electric hermits cost me a lot...errr
Could they be attacking one another? Hermits will be aggressive towards one another.
I don't think anything else you listed would attack them.

 

[seannmelly]

if you dont have extra shells in the tank they will kill each other for bigger shells

 

[gdleader]

I got plenty of shells and they are all large crabs...probably largest they get so I got about 10-15 empty large shells in the tank. I did see some fighting though but i usually broken them up. :

 

[frankthetank]

I'm betting your hermits are your own worst nightmare... almost all hermits are fighters.

 

[gdleader]

bah...if that's the case, why even bother to buy them? so many people recommanded me getting them for my tank and I paid almost $100 for 15 electric and god knows how much for 10 burgendy. So any needs of buying more of these "fighters" if they going to kill themselves then there is no point....

I feel like my tank is a kamakazi war ground

 

[m0nk]

I heard once that a foxface will go after snails. Maybe they'll go after hermits too. :notsure:
Personally, I wouldn't count that as a loss though, snails are much better than hermits, imo. I won't take the hermits I have out of my tank, but when they die off I won't be replacing them.

 

[seannmelly]

Originally Posted by GDLeader
bah...if that's the case, why even bother to buy them? so many people recommanded me getting them for my tank and I paid almost $100 for 15 electric and god knows how much for 10 burgendy. So any needs of buying more of these "fighters" if they going to kill themselves then there is no point....

I feel like my tank is a kamakazi war ground

seems kinda expensive

 

[fishgeek01]

that seems very expensive, and for such a small peice of your tank, I would have to say that hermits are very beneficial, they do in fact eat each other as they are oportunistic, and no matter the number of extra shells you have its always a possibility. If you want to spend 100 bucks on hermits get 150 blue legs. Then when they start coming up missing you won't even notice...

 

[seannmelly]

right go on the big auction site and get them even cheaper

 

[vpotts28]

Originally Posted by GDLeader
ERRR just about every day I'm seeing my electric blue and burgendy hermit crabs are missing! I have a foxface and a Yellow Watchman currently in my tank. I think that the Yellow Watchman is eating them...I feed him very well with brine 2x a day I don't see how he could still be hungry! Do Yellow Watchman eat hermit crabs? If so he's got to go!!

How do you know they are missing? Is there an empty shell in which they once inhabited? Or are both the crab and shell missing? If so the latter they could be molting and hiding in your rock.

 

[m0nk]

Originally Posted by Vpotts28
How do you know they are missing? Is there an empty shell in which they once inhabited? Or are both the crab and shell missing? If so the latter they could be molting and hiding in your rock.
Yeah, I've found that even in a 12 gallon tank, my hermits have a tendency to hide really well. Sometimes I won't see them for a couple days, sometimes they'll be all over.

 

[vpotts28]

Originally Posted by m0nk
Yeah, I've found that even in a 12 gallon tank, my hermits have a tendency to hide really well. Sometimes I won't see them for a couple days, sometimes they'll be all over.
I have one electric that is currently molting, I have seen him once or twice in a crack or crevice, but he has not completely shown himself since last friday. I saw the carcass of the old on Sunday.

 

[frankthetank]

I honestly never know if I have hermits missing or not. I can't possibly see them all in my tank. They are behind rocks, or places I have no idea about. I usually can count 15 or so, but I think I have over 20, maybe 25 total.

 

[vpotts28]

Originally Posted by FranktheTank
I honestly never know if I have hermits missing or not. I can't possibly see them all in my tank. They are behind rocks, or places I have no idea about. I usually can count 15 or so, but I think I have over 20, maybe 25 total.

My blue legged I would never be able to tell if they are missing or not. They are way to small. But the electrics I have are pretty large, I know when they aren't out.