Scarlet Hermit Crab Video!

[Melanie]

I couldn't find an Invert forum so I hope I picked the right one!

Here is a little video of my scarlet hermit crab. He has so much personality and is very fun to watch. He scampers all over the tank and REALLY gets excited when I feed my fish. He can't wait until the little bits of mysis fall to the sand.

Help me think of a good name for him.

[lcstorc]

How cute. Scarlets are the only crabs I allow in my reef since most others can/will kill your snails and anything else they can get their claws on. Mine are always called "stupie" by my husband. I don't give them names.

[leebca]

All hermit crabs are opportunistic feeders. They will eat whatever they can get their claws on. The video shows this one eating bacteria off the sand. The fact that it knows when the tank is being fed and responds so enthusiastically to the feeding indicates it is starving. The worst state these 'reef terrorists' can be in, is a hungry state.

[Melanie]

Originally Posted by leebca

All hermit crabs are opportunistic feeders. They will eat whatever they can get their claws on. The video shows this one eating bacteria off the sand. The fact that it knows when the tank is being fed and responds so enthusiastically to the feeding indicates it is starving. The worst state these 'reef terrorists' can be in, is a hungry state.

I don't have any corals he can eat. The stuff you see in the tank is synthetic. I do give him a tiny piece (2X2) of seaweed selects once a week and I feed my fish a tiny bit once a day so I thought since I have a few inverts they didn't really need any supplemental feeding to foul up the tank. I DO have a bottle of zooplankton but I don't use it. I just bought it because I thought I might get a feather duster soon.

[lcstorc]

I wouldn't try the zooplankton if it was me. You could try some sinking shrimp pellets if you think he is starving. Personally it looks like normal hermit behavior to me.

[leebca]

Melanie,

THAT is the about the best response I've ever gotten! I saw all those 'corals' and thought the worst. Your listing didn't indicate any invertebrates/corals so I wasn't sure. The hungry hermits can and do attack fishes that sleep near the bottom at night.

I'd spot feed it once a week with a single small (1/2") krill or a small clam (removing anything uneaten in a few hours).

Live long and prosper!

[bluespotjawfish]

Looks to me like he is just doing his job finding food for himself. My crabs always come out for dinner, they have lots to eat in the tank, but my food is an easier meal for them and they are smart enough to take advantage of it! I am glad they are there to eat the odd morsal that falls where the fish can't get to. I never spot feed them, if I did they wouldn't bother to clean the tank.

[Dentoid]

Precious! I have two scarlet reef crabs. They don't move around as much though. In fact they will stay in the same general area for days. Sometimes I won't see them for days then there they are slowly moving across the sand. I agree with Lorraine, if you keep your clean-up crew a little hungry they will keep your tank clean. I have 90 blue legged hermits in my tank and they have never killed anything. They will steal food away from slower eating corals though. So I have to keep a watch and use the wooden skewer to knock them away when I feed my corals. When I drop a piece of silverside onto the gravel it's like a mass raid, hermits come from far and wide. So do my shrimps and serpent stars. I trust, that any food that gets missed by my fish is quickly gotten by my trusty clean-up crew.

[Seasalt Dreams]

I have 15 of those in my tank, I switched to them when I realized my bluelegs were killing all my snails.

[Melanie]

He is my favorite tank inhabitant and so much fun to watch. He seems like he has a ton of personality and "looks" at me and scampers around. I love him!