Finally found a bigger shell for my hermit crab. I also found out who was flipping over the smaller rocks in my tank every day. When I say small I mean rocks 4x the size of the crab, this guy is strong! For comparison my 3+ in clown is in the background in the second pic. Does anyone else have copepods all over their glass? I think that's what all those small white spots are.
New shell for hermit
- Thread starter Kazarko
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Bifferwine
I am a girl
Your crab looks much happier!! I have pods all over the glass in my 10 gallon tank. But that's because I don't have any fish in there. When I add fish, they disappear.
dcantucson
Reef pro
Get another crab like it and watch them dual it out!
RyanG
Reef enthusiast
Just so you know that is the hairy red type of hermit, they get very big and quite destructive. There are some other members here that are learning that as we speak. Just wanted you to know what you are getting yourself into.
wontonflip
I failed Kobayashi Maru
When my goby died, all of a sudden, my glass was COVERED with pods. Li'l white specs creeping around.
Tristan
Detritus
why do you think the copepods went on the window after your goby died?
Bifferwine
I am a girl
Nothing was eating them anymore, so they were able to reproduce like crazy.
Tristan
Detritus
was wonton talking about a mandarin goby?
sen5241b
Reef enthusiast
MY suggestion: DO NOT give hermits bigger shells. They are reef safe only because they are small. Give'em bigger shells and they get bigger and more destructive.
Also I've seen wrasses and damsels decimate my pod population.
Also I've seen wrasses and damsels decimate my pod population.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
The crab will grow regardless of its shell size. They steal bigger shells because they grow out of their old shells.
Not giving them bigger shells won't force them to be small. That's a myth! Does putting a tang in a 10 gallon tank keep it small? Nope. The fish will still grow.
The small "safe" hermits and the large "destructive" hermits are actually two different species. They are often sold as the same species because when the large ones are young, they are often indistinguishable from the smaller species. You can't tell which is which -- so many stores sell them all as the small "safe" species. Only after a few months when a couple of them are massive does the buyer realize that there were a couple different types of hermits mixed in!
Not giving them bigger shells won't force them to be small. That's a myth! Does putting a tang in a 10 gallon tank keep it small? Nope. The fish will still grow.
The small "safe" hermits and the large "destructive" hermits are actually two different species. They are often sold as the same species because when the large ones are young, they are often indistinguishable from the smaller species. You can't tell which is which -- so many stores sell them all as the small "safe" species. Only after a few months when a couple of them are massive does the buyer realize that there were a couple different types of hermits mixed in!
