Giant Hermit!!

romsoccer12 · 05/08/2009, 03:07 PM

ive had my tank for about 5 weeks just got a cuc of some small hermits and snails i asked for some shells for the crabs to change in and out of and he gave me a big bag of shells i checked each one and counted all of them putting them all in the front. Next morning i see a maybe 1inch hermit crab with a giant shell walking around the sand. I think its a zebra hermit. 2 of my little hermits are already missing ( nothing in the shells. Is this giant hermit eating them???!!

romsoccer12 · 05/08/2009, 03:08 PM

none of the shells i counted have gone missing but now i added 2 because of the 2 dead hermits =( honestly, this hermit is bigger than my emerald crabs

Entropy · 05/08/2009, 03:12 PM

I would give it some time. Chances are they are hiding. I have six hermits in my tank and everytime I think they are dead/gone, they show up for a day and then disappear again.

romsoccer12 · 05/08/2009, 03:19 PM

i found there shells with nothing in it and none of the shells that where empty were taken
they where eaten unfourtuaetly

Entropy · 05/08/2009, 03:26 PM

Well don't beat yourself up. Hermit do eat each other from time to time. Some will even fight over the same shell when there are 20 others right next to them. It could also be that your tank is still cycling.

romsoccer12 · 05/08/2009, 03:30 PM

the cuc has been in for 2 weeks and nothing died, i added like 2 more hermits and some shells and now i saw the big guy so its not a cycling issue are there any kind of hermits that have stripped bodies that can grown about an inch to a inch 1/2??

Entropy · 05/08/2009, 03:33 PM

What color? The electric blue hermit is striped (blue strips), but they are peaceful. Can you shoot a pic?

goldmaniac · 05/08/2009, 04:00 PM

don't dismiss the possibility that the smaller ones simply changed shells.

romsoccer12 · 05/09/2009, 07:49 PM

i dont have a camera so no picture the tips of its legs are striped black and blue than goes to strait orange and his claws are black eyes are blue
the small one didnt change shells because all the open shells are in the front and none are missing from when i put them in

mattypw · 05/10/2009, 04:42 PM

thats sounds kind of like an electric blue, but a pic would be better (cellphone or something). Also, are you sure your emerald crab didnt kill them, or maybe they just died and were consumed by the other crab?

CoRPS · 05/10/2009, 04:55 PM

[aussie]Ats not a hermit, this is a hermit![/aussie]

romsoccer12 · 05/10/2009, 06:48 PM

http://z.about.com/d/saltaquarium/1/...incrab_400.JPG

this is what it looks like

ds4x4 · 05/10/2009, 06:58 PM

zebra Also sold as right handed hermits

romsoccer12 · 05/10/2009, 07:01 PM

can they get as big as an 1inch though? is it reef safe? and since its so big, will it kill other hermits? im trying to direct feed it with mysis whenever i see it so it doesnt kill anything in its path. I dont think it was the emeralds cuz they are extremely passive and stay on the same rock everyday chowing down

mitziem · 05/10/2009, 09:20 PM

I have alot of hermit crabs in my 75gal tanks and they are always switching shell. I just got about 30 larger shells and added to my tank. My red legged crab switches shells 3-4 times a day.

sharky's machin · 05/10/2009, 11:15 PM

Zebra hermits are killers. I have one that has grown incredibly over the past couple of months. He just killed 2 turbo snails last week and he is about to wear out his welcome.

I love the way he looks, very cool as far as hermit crabs go so I hate to get rid of him. I will probably send him to my fuge via the 'walk of shame'.

romsoccer12 · 05/12/2009, 02:38 PM

can he live in my 2lb refuigum with only 4 lbs of liverock?

romsoccer12 · 05/12/2009, 02:39 PM

2gal**

Whys · 05/12/2009, 02:52 PM

I like my Zebra, but he is a trouble maker. Has killed a Cerith and now a Margarite. Definitely more aggressive than my Scarlet, Yellow-tip, or Blue-leg. Constantly turning my snails on their backs when he finds them on the sandbed. I'm always having to help them back over. He also grows the fastest and is always looking for a shell a size too big.

If you don't want the hermit, just give it back to the LFS, possibly for store credit. I don't see the point in putting it in the fuge. For one thing, that's not where you want to put an opportunist. But yes, a 2g fuge will probably suffice.

05/08/2009, 03:07 PM	#1
romsoccer12 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: ohio Posts: 2,625	Giant Hermit!! ive had my tank for about 5 weeks just got a cuc of some small hermits and snails i asked for some shells for the crabs to change in and out of and he gave me a big bag of shells i checked each one and counted all of them putting them all in the front. Next morning i see a maybe 1inch hermit crab with a giant shell walking around the sand. I think its a zebra hermit. 2 of my little hermits are already missing ( nothing in the shells. Is this giant hermit eating them???!! __________________ Colin R Current Tank Info: 3rd tank working fine!(29gal oceanic biocube) 5-6months old

05/08/2009, 03:08 PM	#2
romsoccer12 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: ohio Posts: 2,625	none of the shells i counted have gone missing but now i added 2 because of the 2 dead hermits =( honestly, this hermit is bigger than my emerald crabs __________________ Colin R Current Tank Info: 3rd tank working fine!(29gal oceanic biocube) 5-6months old

05/08/2009, 03:12 PM	#3
Entropy Texas Reefer Join Date: May 2003 Location: Round Rock, TX Posts: 13,656	I would give it some time. Chances are they are hiding. I have six hermits in my tank and everytime I think they are dead/gone, they show up for a day and then disappear again. __________________ Rich Overton 150G cube FOWLR, 30g sump, ReefKeeperII, 3x Koralia 1400's, QuiteOne 3000, Reef Octopus DNWB150, 4x 30w Par38 LED. Current Tank Info: 36x36x27 150g

05/08/2009, 03:19 PM	#4
romsoccer12 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: ohio Posts: 2,625	i found there shells with nothing in it and none of the shells that where empty were taken they where eaten unfourtuaetly __________________ Colin R Current Tank Info: 3rd tank working fine!(29gal oceanic biocube) 5-6months old

05/08/2009, 03:26 PM	#5
Entropy Texas Reefer Join Date: May 2003 Location: Round Rock, TX Posts: 13,656	Well don't beat yourself up. Hermit do eat each other from time to time. Some will even fight over the same shell when there are 20 others right next to them. It could also be that your tank is still cycling. __________________ Rich Overton 150G cube FOWLR, 30g sump, ReefKeeperII, 3x Koralia 1400's, QuiteOne 3000, Reef Octopus DNWB150, 4x 30w Par38 LED. Current Tank Info: 36x36x27 150g

05/08/2009, 03:30 PM	#6
romsoccer12 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: ohio Posts: 2,625	the cuc has been in for 2 weeks and nothing died, i added like 2 more hermits and some shells and now i saw the big guy so its not a cycling issue are there any kind of hermits that have stripped bodies that can grown about an inch to a inch 1/2?? __________________ Colin R Current Tank Info: 3rd tank working fine!(29gal oceanic biocube) 5-6months old

05/08/2009, 03:33 PM	#7
Entropy Texas Reefer Join Date: May 2003 Location: Round Rock, TX Posts: 13,656	What color? The electric blue hermit is striped (blue strips), but they are peaceful. Can you shoot a pic? __________________ Rich Overton 150G cube FOWLR, 30g sump, ReefKeeperII, 3x Koralia 1400's, QuiteOne 3000, Reef Octopus DNWB150, 4x 30w Par38 LED. Current Tank Info: 36x36x27 150g

05/08/2009, 04:00 PM	#8
goldmaniac Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Yardley, PA Posts: 1,567	don't dismiss the possibility that the smaller ones simply changed shells.

05/09/2009, 07:49 PM	#9
romsoccer12 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: ohio Posts: 2,625	i dont have a camera so no picture the tips of its legs are striped black and blue than goes to strait orange and his claws are black eyes are blue the small one didnt change shells because all the open shells are in the front and none are missing from when i put them in __________________ Colin R Current Tank Info: 3rd tank working fine!(29gal oceanic biocube) 5-6months old

05/10/2009, 04:42 PM	#10
mattypw Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 184	thats sounds kind of like an electric blue, but a pic would be better (cellphone or something). Also, are you sure your emerald crab didnt kill them, or maybe they just died and were consumed by the other crab?

05/10/2009, 04:55 PM	#11
CoRPS Big Time Reefer Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: P-RINE Posts: 2,887	[aussie]Ats not a hermit, this is a hermit![/aussie]

05/10/2009, 06:48 PM	#12
romsoccer12 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: ohio Posts: 2,625	http://z.about.com/d/saltaquarium/1/...incrab_400.JPG this is what it looks like __________________ Colin R Current Tank Info: 3rd tank working fine!(29gal oceanic biocube) 5-6months old

05/10/2009, 06:58 PM	#13
ds4x4 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Pennsville NJ Posts: 279	zebra Also sold as right handed hermits __________________ -Asking her for Forgiveness is much easier than asking for Permission.- Current Tank Info: 120gal Re-Build

05/10/2009, 07:01 PM	#14
romsoccer12 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: ohio Posts: 2,625	can they get as big as an 1inch though? is it reef safe? and since its so big, will it kill other hermits? im trying to direct feed it with mysis whenever i see it so it doesnt kill anything in its path. I dont think it was the emeralds cuz they are extremely passive and stay on the same rock everyday chowing down __________________ Colin R Current Tank Info: 3rd tank working fine!(29gal oceanic biocube) 5-6months old

05/10/2009, 09:20 PM	#15
mitziem Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Lambertville, Michigan...(don't blink) it's a stone throw from Toledo, Ohio Posts: 54	I have alot of hermit crabs in my 75gal tanks and they are always switching shell. I just got about 30 larger shells and added to my tank. My red legged crab switches shells 3-4 times a day. __________________ Thanks Mitzi Current Tank Info: 75gal bowed front tank/ and about a 1700gal Koi and goldfish pond.

05/10/2009, 11:15 PM	#16
sharky's machin Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Simi Valley, CA Posts: 585	Zebra hermits are killers. I have one that has grown incredibly over the past couple of months. He just killed 2 turbo snails last week and he is about to wear out his welcome. I love the way he looks, very cool as far as hermit crabs go so I hate to get rid of him. I will probably send him to my fuge via the 'walk of shame'. __________________ 50 gallon cube 24X24X20 Reefkeeper Lite; LED Radion G2; Vortech MP 10 CAD Lights skimmer; Media Reactor Mixed reef- LPS, Zoas, SPS Current Tank Info: 50 gallon CAD Lights mixed reef

05/12/2009, 02:38 PM	#17
romsoccer12 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: ohio Posts: 2,625	can he live in my 2lb refuigum with only 4 lbs of liverock? __________________ Colin R Current Tank Info: 3rd tank working fine!(29gal oceanic biocube) 5-6months old

05/12/2009, 02:39 PM	#18
romsoccer12 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: ohio Posts: 2,625	2gal** __________________ Colin R Current Tank Info: 3rd tank working fine!(29gal oceanic biocube) 5-6months old

05/12/2009, 02:52 PM	#19
Whys Moved On Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 3,263	I like my Zebra, but he is a trouble maker. Has killed a Cerith and now a Margarite. Definitely more aggressive than my Scarlet, Yellow-tip, or Blue-leg. Constantly turning my snails on their backs when he finds them on the sandbed. I'm always having to help them back over. He also grows the fastest and is always looking for a shell a size too big. If you don't want the hermit, just give it back to the LFS, possibly for store credit. I don't see the point in putting it in the fuge. For one thing, that's not where you want to put an opportunist. But yes, a 2g fuge will probably suffice.