hermits keep getting eatin

[boadyboom]

i have a 46g bow front i have 60 lbs LR 50 lbs LS clarkii clown, perc clown yellow tail damsel and 2 black and gold damsels that i am trying to catch the only mean ones in my tank. my perc was a mated pair but the bigger one got ich as well as my coral beauty, and a condi anemone--- my question is i have seen hermits half eatin every now and again-- could it be the clarkii protecting the anemone or the anemone stinging the crab? I had bout 15 hermits assorted ones and now down to about 7. Also my anemone still has not attached itself seems like the clarkii moves it to where ever it wants. it never eats when i try to hand feed it shrimp or squid can the clarkii keep it fed? i have had it about 3 months

 

[viper_930]

Do you see the empty shells? The crabs would molt every now and then and leave behind their old shell that look very similar to the real thing.

 

[boadyboom]

no i have lots of extra shells and all that i see half a crab out of his shell with the whole back half of it ate up

 

[golfish]

Are you sure its not a molt your looking at...You might have a small Mantis in there.

 

[boadyboom]

definitly not a molt my hermits are down to half strength now you can see the meat half way eatin small ones and today was the first day i saw one of the bigger ones dead-- but my peppermint shrimp has molted and i have only had him for a week

 

[golfish]

it could be a few things, a small mantis is just one.
What kind of crabs are they? They could be killing each other.

 

[boadyboom]

some have red legs some have blue and black and a few have white stripes--- my lfs sold them as hermits they were all together-- any pics of a mantis shrimp

 

[ivanfj]

My guess is that they are just killing each other. Red and blue leg are known to do that. If you wanna keep hermits you should get red scarlet hermits. I've had mine for over half a year now without any extra shells and no fighting at all.