canabolistic scarlets?

[cap'n pete]

I was told by my LFS today that they don't carry scarlet hemits anymore. Stated that they kill each other. Anybody else know anything? This site still carries them.

 

[ed r]

You get a lot of different opinions about the hermit crabs in particular. I am somewhat anti-crab. My problem with them has been with their killing my snails, especially the Nassarius. I have not heard of problems with them killing each other, unless there were not shells available. I think that is the cause of many of the snail fatalities as well. When a crab outgrows its shell, it has little choice but to do whatever it can to obtain a larger one. However, that doesn't mean they have to do it in my tanks. Other people have had good luck with hermits, including the scarlets. Perhaps it is the size and quantity of the crabs and the snails in the tanks that determines whether the crab has any interest in those shells?

 

[cap'n pete]

That's a good theory. I have had a mix of blue and scarlet hermits and always lose some. I have never observed my hermits attacking each other, although I did have a hungry blue legged grab a clown.

 

[memnoch]

I have seen on numerous occasions the scarlets reaching into other occupied shells trying to snag the inhabitant. If this is natural behavior I say let 'em have at each other. I enjoy watching the emeralds duke it out all the time. I've not noticed to many actually dying. Only one or two shells that i've actually known to be empty where once inhabited.

 

[byrself]

i agree with the above, i have blue leg and scarlets, as well as an emerald. i provide plenty of extra shells, and have not noticed out right predation between them. i think it's a shell issue, and survival of the fittest, rather than murderous hermits..imo.