Reef Discussion

[jsncrs]

Hey guys,

I live in Victoria, Australia and I'm putting together a clean up crew for my 200L tank and would love to get some hermit crabs to add to the team. No LFS around my area do marine stuff so I have to either travel or buy online.

Anyone know where I can find some?

 

[macca_75]

Welcome @jsncrs , where abouts in Vic do you live?

Cheers

 

[macca_75]

Not every reefer has added their location, but have you had a look at http://www.thereefuge.com.au/maps/australia/

(From the ...More menu above then Hotspots)

Might be someone around you?

 

[Sam Parker]

Most LFS either have or can get you hermit crabs. Have you read up on them though? I have one that was a total terror in the tank, so he now has a pico on his own to terrorize!
Sam

 

[jsncrs]

Welcome @jsncrs , where abouts in Vic do you live?

Thanks mate, I live in Ballarat, I'll check out the map and see what I can find.

Cheers

Most LFS either have or can get you hermit crabs. Have you read up on them though? I have one that was a total terror in the tank, so he now has a pico on his own to terrorize!
Sam

I've contacted a few online stores, just waiting on replies. I've read up on them, but mostly found positive stories.. What did yours do to terrorize the tank?

 

[Sam Parker]

Personally, I would rather grab livestock (especially invertebrates) from local stores. Better success rate plus not really saving much as the postage is killer. Which suburb are you in? Plenty of real stores that will have heaps to pick from.

Mine would go after anything it was faster than - so basically just snails. He upgraded shells a few times by killing off any snail he could get his claws onto. I popped it into my pico with a pistol shrimp and that was one hell of a fight for a few days. Either the pistol is hiding or he killed him too.

 

[macca_75]

@Loony's Frags - can you suggest anything?

 

[jsncrs]

Personally, I would rather grab livestock (especially invertebrates) from local stores. Better success rate plus not really saving much as the postage is killer. Which suburb are you in? Plenty of real stores that will have heaps to pick from.

Mine would go after anything it was faster than - so basically just snails. He upgraded shells a few times by killing off any snail he could get his claws onto. I popped it into my pico with a pistol shrimp and that was one hell of a fight for a few days. Either the pistol is hiding or he killed him too.

Wow, I may need to do a little more research. :confused:
I'm in Ballarat

 

[Sam Parker]

There is I place in Ballarat about to start stocking marine, but I'd drive up to deer park and see Dave and Mark. Those guys will give you good advice and a top price.
Sam

 

[DavidS]

For hermits, Dave @ Deer Park would be your best bet.
Ballarat Aquarium is still a bit new to marine (though if you ask Steve he might be able to get them in for you). You could check out Pet Stock as well. Last time I went past they were making a feeble attempt at trying to do marine, but I've not been in there since I saw that soup they were trying to get seahorses to live in (that was well over a year ago).

I'm not a big fan of hermits (I have my reasons lol), so I don't have any. To get some down I'd need to do an order so big I couldn't fit it in my holding tanks at the moment, so not likely to do any more livestock orders before January. Deer Park is the closest place most likely to have some in stock.

 

[Agent M]

Hermit crabs are awesome tank editions - what Sam's experience highlights is a really common problem that tends to give them a bad name. But really something else entirely is going on than what appears to be 'aggressive' or 'hunting' behaviour.

The most challenging part of keeping them is making sure that you provide them with a decent range of spare shells in the tank that they can move into. They like to swap shells quite regularly and try on new ones quite a lot. For each hermit, you need to measure the size of the opening of the shell they are in and find other shells that have the same sized opening, give them a selection of those, and also a selection of shells that are ever so slightly bigger (like 1mm bigger in diameter). You have to be very precise here which is the challenging part and even then you may not give them exactly what they need. They can put on shells that are too big for them if they have to but won't stay in them long.

If you don't provide them with a whole 'wardrobe' for every occasion, they will have nowhere else to move into once they moult and will most likely die from the stress of it or get predated on by running around in the nude. Without a decent amount of spare shells to browse, they will also try to take already occupied shells out of desperation/stress and thats when they may kill things like snails. But thats all they are trying to do.

 

[Sam Parker]

Put in LARGE shells. I had about five spare shells in the tank for one hermit. He ignored them and ate a stromb snail that was about eight times larger than him. Took the shell and struggled to even move with it for a good week or so.

That being said, he is very entertaining!

 

[MichelleShocked]

Hermits ARE very entertaining. I've said in another thread that they hop in & out of shells like super models at a fashion show. If you have more than one, they behave like footballers girlfriends on awards night.
Extremely amusing.
And what Agent M says is correct - they will usually leave the snails and each other alone if there's enough shells to choose from.
I like them but won't have them any more because they are little vandals - unless everything is firmly glued down, they knock things over and generally trash the joint as they crawl over everything. Rather like awards night a bit later into the evening.
If i got them again for the kids, i'd do what Sam did and put them in a pico on their own with some rocks and macro algae to play with since they cant behave normally in open society.
Kinda wish i could do the same with super models and WAGS too....

 

[jeff1988]

I had about 10 of them in my 40 gal reef and the only problem I had was them knocking over corals that weren't glued I went to a beach just down the road from me and got them plenty of extra shells I collected them myself from Shelley beach at colonists on the sunshine coast has them almost a year and had nothing but good things from them

 

[jeff1988]

Lol caloundra not colonists

 

[Joshwaaaa]

my hermits all got turfed into the sump after finding anthias with half eaten fins etc over night, havent had that problem since.

 

[chimaera]

Hermit crabs are evil.

Use snails and other CUC such as bristle worms, stomatella, brittle stars.

 

[rockerpeller]

I haven't had any problems with the hermit crabs yet. I tend to hand feed them with mussel or prawn, when I feed the nem. Funny cos I think one has figured out my feeding regime for the nem, because he sits on the highest bit of the rockwork waiting for me.
Yea it doesn't seem that funny when you read the above, but I have to mention the highest bit of my rockwork is a skinny acro skeleton tip that the hermit crabs shell doesn't fit on so he has to keep moving to stay there.
Hit up Deer Park for hermits, but keep an eye on your other CUC. You may have to keep stocking up on snails etc