HUGE HERMIT CRAB!

eerie

eerie

Member
So I stumbled across this Hermit Crab at the LFS. This guy is huge! His shell must be over seven inches long and his body is probably the size of a baseball. Well, I couldn't pass him up. I never buy anything on a whim, but I figured, I'll find one of my tanks to put him in. He was a trade in and the owner didn't know much information about it. They nicknamed him the "Devastator Crab."
So...does anybody know what kind of crab this is?
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member

Petrochirus diogenes: he is a coral, snail, and fish eating bad guy. They get to be about 12 inches
or
Dardanus Pedunculatus: 4 inches and only reef safe if in a very large tank, eats fish while they sleep.
Your picture looks like he first..it has the spikes on it's body that the book discribes.
 
eerie

eerie

Member
Hhhmm.... interesting. It looks just like the Dardanus Pedunculatus, but mine seems to have blue spots. From the pictures I'm seeing online, mine also seems to have a lot more hair. I don't know. It may forever be a mystery. He'll just be my big blue spotted hairy enormous crab.
However, thank-you! Your help, helped me out a lot.
Right now, I'm housing him in a 90 gallon tank, with just live rock and an 18'' Lionfish. There may be a couple snails scattered in their somewhere, but if he can find them, he can have 'em. Thanks again!
 
S

saxman

Guest
That's definitely a Dardanus hermit...very destructive, especially in a reef. They will also attack and eat sleeping fish. "Devastator crab" is a good description for it (I know...I had one for awhile). I was actually happy when my SFE ate it (they were both exiled from my reef for being destructive).
 
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