hermit crabs?

[gnorman]

just a funny thought. i was at 3 arch beach today in southern california ( i live 10 mins from it ) anyways, they have a pretty big tide pool and while my friend and i were observing creaters in it we came across probably 200 hermit crabs. i know your not suppose to use anything from the ocean but i was wondering if it would be ok if you used hermit crabs from tidepools for your tank to keep it clean. please dont bash its just a simple question. another thing. i dont get why they are so expensive on these sites and at LFS.. they are everywhere!

 

[hatessushi]

They're not 10 minutes from where I live, more like 10 hours and that's why they are expensive on websites because most people don't live 10 minutes from the beach. Also web sites don't sell hermits from beaches of populated areas because of the polution.

 

[xdave]

Sometimes they have water in their shell that could contain a lot of bad things.
Supply and demand, 200 hermits would last an average store a month tops, times the number of stores in the world...

 

[gnorman]

ok thanks for your info on how far u live from the beach.. but that wasnt my question. and, when i said they are everywhere, i ment that im sure theres more hermit crabs then say even the most common SW fish for the home aquarium. and a lot easier to catch. also about the dirty shells. you could take shells from the beach or the one the hermit is hosting and clean it and then they could host it. would it be ok?

 

[hatessushi]

sure, as long as you boil the shell first. After you boil them try putting them is a QT with the shells. If they take them over then move them to the DT, just a idea.
I mentioned how far I was from the beach and meant that as saying basically since there are nonoe here I have tobuy them so therefore the prices are as they are, it depends on demand. Plus when you said everywhere, well that's where you live. Personally I would get some and try the QT thing but I would find out if it's legal to take them first. I know there are laws against removing live items from the ocean is some places.

 

[xdave]

Nothing is easier to catch than fish. It's takes 3 guys about 2 hours to get over 100,000 damsels. Hermits tend to stay on the bottom when you pump cyanide over the reef.

 

[ninjamini]

Originally Posted by xDave
...cyanide over the reef.
What are you talking 'bout Willis?

 

[gnorman]

i was wondering the same thing :notsure:

 

[saltfreak4]

OK, I will be attacked but here goes. I trust the ocean (believe it or not) more than the lfs I don't know very well. The octopi I kept in my tank where from the tide pools. I placed a starfish, and hermits. Never had any trouble. I lived about 15 minutes from the beach.
For that matter while I was in college I kept a tank. I went to USSB, right on the ocean, and used filtered ocean water right from the ocean. Premixed. How much better can you get to the real ocean than ummm...the real ocean.
So there you go. If you are willing to take the chance that these little buggers could be harboring nasties, then put them in. I would do it, just to let you know.

 

[saltfreak4]

And what Dave is talking about is how they catch fish on the reef. They do the cyanide over the reef and it knocks the fish out, and then they scoop them up. The hermits are affected but they live inbetween the rock and you still have to search to find them, so they are harder to catch, using this method.

 

[renogaw]

yea, i just heard about the cyanide over the reef thing from one of my LFS. he claims his fish are not caught that way, which is why his are more expensive. what's the chance this is true?