Hermit Crab Identifications

wax32

wax32

Active Member
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

wax32

Active Member

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

wax32

Active Member
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.
Also available in an orange color morph from Hawaii

Calcinus elegans - "Electric Orange Hermit"
The Hawaiian morph seems to grow slowly. Mine hasn't molted and I have had him for a few months now. He still wears the same shell he came in. The blue-knuckles I got at the same time have molted a few times and gotten a good deal bigger.
Note that this is NOT the so-called "Halloween Hermit"...
 
wax32

wax32

Active Member

Calcinus tibicen - "Orange Claw Hermit"
These are my favorite hermits!!
From the Caribbean, 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. I have 2 of these guys currently and they seem to seek each other out in the tank. Maybe I have a pair?
 
wax32

wax32

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http://www.zooxanthellae.com
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

wax32

Active Member
http://www.zooxanthellae.com
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.
I have 2 zebras in my tank that I haven't seen since putting them in a couple weeks ago. One of my "albino blood suckers" (see below) is wearing one of their shells now. I hope they are still alive! I think they are a nice looking crab.

More pictures:

Calcinus laevimanus, "Hawaiian Zebra Hermit"

Calcinus laevimanus, "Hawaiian Zebra Hermit"

Calcinus laevimanus, "Hawaiian Zebra Hermit"
 
wax32

wax32

Active Member
http://www.zooxanthellae.com
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.
I currently have two, which mainly come out at night when they have a better chance of not being seen by my "big boys", the orange claws and electric blues.
Another picture:

Paguristes cadenati, "Scarlet Reef Hermit"
 
wax32

wax32

Active Member
http://www.zooxanthellae.com
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

wax32

Active Member
http://www.zooxanthellae.com
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

wax32

Active Member
Originally Posted by Bronco300
this guy has gotten giant
Nice, I am pretty sure that is a crab from the Dardanus genus. Is its body kind of flat?
 
wax32

wax32

Active Member
I don't own this crab... thanks to CELACANTHr for sending me a link to this picture.
http://www.zooxanthellae.com
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.
 
wax32

wax32

Active Member
Bronco:
I think yours is a big Mexican Red Tip! It doesn't look like a Dardanus crab now. Have you had it long?
Shame on you, clean your glass!
 
bronco300

bronco300

Active Member
haha, i had another that was that big...but he ended up dying...this guy took his shell...freaky things
..,.the rest of my crabs are small...i assume they are the same
 
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