Red Leg V Blue Leg Hermit

75pxatr · 08/30/2008, 05:44 AM

What are your thoughts on which crab is best in a soft coral tank for clean up?

How many would you add to 75gallon?

I have several large blue leg that have grown quite big. I'm suspicious they are aggressive to smaller red legs?

Mariner · 08/30/2008, 06:09 AM

I think the best hermit is probably the scarlet reef hermit. They seem slightly less aggressive than most other mini hermits, despite the fact that they get just as large. They are also long lived (I have a couple that are at least 5 years old) The drawback is that they're a little more expensive.
I've got a mix of about 20 hermits in my 75 right now (scarlet, mexican red leg, blue leg), along with a handful of nerite and turbo snails. It seems to work pretty well. I could probably use a few more snails.
Depending on what else is in your clean up crew, you could easily have 20 to 30 hermits and not be overdoing it, IMO.
Mariner

victor_c3 · 08/30/2008, 06:29 AM

I agree with the scarlet hermits. From my experience, they seem to be the most proficient hair algae eaters of any other hermit I've tried. I have about 10-15 in my 30 gallon and between them and about 8 large turbo snails, I haven't seen hair algae since May.

08/30/2008, 05:44 AM	#1
75pxatr Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Poland OHio Posts: 567	Red Leg V Blue Leg Hermit What are your thoughts on which crab is best in a soft coral tank for clean up? How many would you add to 75gallon? I have several large blue leg that have grown quite big. I'm suspicious they are aggressive to smaller red legs?

08/30/2008, 06:09 AM	#2
Mariner Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: North Alabama Posts: 3,952	I think the best hermit is probably the scarlet reef hermit. They seem slightly less aggressive than most other mini hermits, despite the fact that they get just as large. They are also long lived (I have a couple that are at least 5 years old) The drawback is that they're a little more expensive. I've got a mix of about 20 hermits in my 75 right now (scarlet, mexican red leg, blue leg), along with a handful of nerite and turbo snails. It seems to work pretty well. I could probably use a few more snails. Depending on what else is in your clean up crew, you could easily have 20 to 30 hermits and not be overdoing it, IMO. Mariner __________________ DESIGN DEMANDS A DESIGNER. ~The perception is that perception is reality, but the reality is that it isn't. Current Tank Info: 75g mixed reef; 135g mixed reef

08/30/2008, 06:29 AM	#3
victor_c3 Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: New York Posts: 513	I agree with the scarlet hermits. From my experience, they seem to be the most proficient hair algae eaters of any other hermit I've tried. I have about 10-15 in my 30 gallon and between them and about 8 large turbo snails, I haven't seen hair algae since May.