Hermit Crab Identifications
- Thread starter wax32
- Start date
bbb
Member
Originally Posted by wax32
OK. So here is the official post, let me know if anything needs to be added:
http://www.zooxanthellae.com
Clibanarius vittatus, "Thin Stripe Hermit"
Photo courtesy of tnt
Eventually grows large (fist sized), so shouldn't be considered reef safe. Doesn't seem to bother corals but has been reported to eat feather dusters and snails. Make sure you have LARGE shells on hand. May do best in aggressive fish-only type tanks. These can survive in cooler temperature waters. They are often collected on beaches and piers in the south eastern USA.
More pictures:
Clibanarius vittatus, "Thin Stripe Hermit"
Photo courtesy of socal57che
Clibanarius vittatus, "Thin Stripe Hermit"
Photo courtesy of dadummy
My dad brought home some of these that he caught off a pier on the NC coast. I have a few pictures if you want them.
OK. So here is the official post, let me know if anything needs to be added:
http://www.zooxanthellae.com
Clibanarius vittatus, "Thin Stripe Hermit"
Photo courtesy of tnt
Eventually grows large (fist sized), so shouldn't be considered reef safe. Doesn't seem to bother corals but has been reported to eat feather dusters and snails. Make sure you have LARGE shells on hand. May do best in aggressive fish-only type tanks. These can survive in cooler temperature waters. They are often collected on beaches and piers in the south eastern USA.
More pictures:
Clibanarius vittatus, "Thin Stripe Hermit"
Photo courtesy of socal57che
Clibanarius vittatus, "Thin Stripe Hermit"
Photo courtesy of dadummy
My dad brought home some of these that he caught off a pier on the NC coast. I have a few pictures if you want them.
fishrule
Member
I have one of these in my tank... He is my favorite and has a rather large Claw... Of course I named him "The Claw"... He is very fast and gets along well with all my other hermits in the tank... He just happens to beat everyone to the food...
I have a bunch of pictures of him climing the corner of my tank... He likes to climb up the corners of my tank and hang from the Glass top... ( Strange )
I have a question for you WAX, how many hermit crabs should I have in my 100g tank and my 25g tank?
How many is too many? I have seen where some people put 80 to 100 small Hermits in there 100 Gallon Tanks.
Originally Posted by wax32
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.
I have a bunch of pictures of him climing the corner of my tank... He likes to climb up the corners of my tank and hang from the Glass top... ( Strange )
I have a question for you WAX, how many hermit crabs should I have in my 100g tank and my 25g tank?
How many is too many? I have seen where some people put 80 to 100 small Hermits in there 100 Gallon Tanks.
Originally Posted by wax32
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
Active Member
Well, to "start" I'd go with a half-dozen for the 25 gallon and a couple dozen for the 100. A hundred small hermits would be too many in all but the heaviest algae overgrown tanks. And then once the algae is gone, then what? =)
If you aren't seeing them move around a whole lot during the day, and your algae/sandbed is under control, you have enough hermits. If they are constantly running around looking like they are trying really hard to find something to eat, and you don't really have any visible algae, you probably have too many.
If you aren't seeing them move around a whole lot during the day, and your algae/sandbed is under control, you have enough hermits. If they are constantly running around looking like they are trying really hard to find something to eat, and you don't really have any visible algae, you probably have too many.
jhov2324
Member
Hey Wax, I have a unidentified hermit, his shell is about 2" big, crab is burgandy/brown, blue eyes, Big Left Claw and it's half white, I can't get a good pic of this guy, as soon as I get one I'll post, it seems like a basic hermit, eats left over food, and algae, so far, i've seen him on my yellow polyps but I think he was just cleaning the rock, any ideas on what it could be
dirty-d
Member
heres a completey white hermit crab i brought home while snorkling in destin florida on my honeymoon......they are pure white and came in a cerithium shell.........they were about every 4 inches away and were burying themselves.......they blended in quite well with the white sand
vanquish
Member
Originally Posted by tnt
I have 4 of these in my semi-aggressive tank. They're striped hermit or thinstripe hermit, clibanarius vittatus. They seem to grow very fast, not considered reef safe, and can reach the size of a tennis ball. I think they are a gulf species and are pretty common.
Mine seem to keep the sand and rocks pretty clean. They don't eat hair algae and enjoy a piece of meat once a week. They ate a hawaiian featherduster, tube and all, in 3 days. I have a picasso trigger they have held their own against for about a year now. Better have lots of shells for them to choose from. One killed one a turbo snail for his shell in spite of all of the empty shells. Very interesting to watch though. Seem pretty hardy.
Here are a couple of pics of one of my hermits. His shell is about 2.75 inches long.
I actually have a tank full of these which i collected in North Carolina. So they must be common to the Eastern United States
I have 4 of these in my semi-aggressive tank. They're striped hermit or thinstripe hermit, clibanarius vittatus. They seem to grow very fast, not considered reef safe, and can reach the size of a tennis ball. I think they are a gulf species and are pretty common.
Mine seem to keep the sand and rocks pretty clean. They don't eat hair algae and enjoy a piece of meat once a week. They ate a hawaiian featherduster, tube and all, in 3 days. I have a picasso trigger they have held their own against for about a year now. Better have lots of shells for them to choose from. One killed one a turbo snail for his shell in spite of all of the empty shells. Very interesting to watch though. Seem pretty hardy.
Here are a couple of pics of one of my hermits. His shell is about 2.75 inches long.
I actually have a tank full of these which i collected in North Carolina. So they must be common to the Eastern United States
Y
yessica
Guest
Notice that he feeds them ONCE a week...not twice a day.
mudplayerx
Active Member
Originally Posted by dadummy
here's a couple from the refugium, not sure the exact I.D., possibly : Phimochirus holthuisi, the Red-striped Hermit Crab. Tropical West Atlantic. To one inch in length. One cheliped enlarged (usually right). Eyestalks white with dark band, eyes grayish blue.
any info would be helpful, especially if this critter is reef safe?
Those look like hermit crabs native to Gulf Shores, AL, and parts of FL. If they are, they get huge.
Great thread Wax. Your pictures are lovely.
here's a couple from the refugium, not sure the exact I.D., possibly : Phimochirus holthuisi, the Red-striped Hermit Crab. Tropical West Atlantic. To one inch in length. One cheliped enlarged (usually right). Eyestalks white with dark band, eyes grayish blue.
any info would be helpful, especially if this critter is reef safe?
Those look like hermit crabs native to Gulf Shores, AL, and parts of FL. If they are, they get huge.
Great thread Wax. Your pictures are lovely.
he had gotten big. It was so sad, just crawled out of his shell one day, walked around the tank for a few hours, and then became food for my emrild. Just goes to show how pathetic hermits are out of their shells haha