Electric blue hermit crabs burrowing in live rock!

RoTTen2TheCore · 01/14/2014, 01:56 PM

Hey all,
I recently bought 3 electric blue hermit crabs (Calcinus elegans) and found that they are burrowing holes in my liverock! In fact, I caught one this morning burrowing right through the base of my large frogspawn coral! Thought these guys were reef safe and good for eating hair algae.

Anyone else have this happen? Opinions?

Misled · 01/14/2014, 03:51 PM

They are most likely finding a place to molt.

RoTTen2TheCore · 01/14/2014, 05:37 PM

That thought occurred, I just figured they would dig into the sand. Anyone actually have these guys in their tank? Have they turned your coals and rock into Swiss cheese? ;-)

Misled · 01/14/2014, 06:05 PM

I believe you are talking about these guys?? My rock is pretty holey and my hermit molts almost every month or so. They need a hiding place to do this as they are very vulnerable till things harden up.

RoTTen2TheCore · 01/14/2014, 06:46 PM

Yeah my rocks have a lot of holes too. I guess just seeing a gaping hole in my coral out me on edge lol. How do you find them as algae eaters?

Misled · 01/14/2014, 07:19 PM

Mine is very active. He never stops. I've even seen him eat valonia. They are more scavengers than algae eaters. Excess foods, decaying or dead inverts. I have no real green algae in my tank, so I can't say how he would do with that.

smom1976 · 01/14/2014, 08:00 PM

Is there anything that this little guy would not be good with? toying with what we would like to put in our tank..

Misled · 01/14/2014, 08:20 PM

You're saying little guy, but these hermits aren't small. About twice the size of scarlet or three times the size of regular blue legs. They are clumsy if you have frags or things that can be knocked around. He hasn't bothered anything in my tank.

MSreefdoc · 01/14/2014, 09:15 PM

Aren't these guys suppose to be better at eating algae than the red legged hermits? Just asking cause I'm making a CUC purchase in the next few days.

Misled · 01/14/2014, 09:29 PM

Yea, they will eat more than red legs or the little blue legs. I wouldn't expect them to clean a tank of algae though. Most snails are better in my opinion. Nice thing is, these guys don't mess with snails.

RoTTen2TheCore · 01/14/2014, 09:46 PM

Yeah I have a large zebra leg hermit that slaughtered all his brothers and done snails cause I didn't have enough shells lol.

01/14/2014, 01:56 PM	#1
RoTTen2TheCore Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 228	Electric blue hermit crabs burrowing in live rock! Hey all, I recently bought 3 electric blue hermit crabs (Calcinus elegans) and found that they are burrowing holes in my liverock! In fact, I caught one this morning burrowing right through the base of my large frogspawn coral! Thought these guys were reef safe and good for eating hair algae. Anyone else have this happen? Opinions?

01/14/2014, 03:51 PM	#2
Misled RC Mod Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Pittsburgh, Pa Posts: 11,440 Blog Entries: 11	They are most likely finding a place to molt. __________________ Jesse I'm not saying I'm Batman. I'm just saying nobody has ever seen me and Batman in a room together.

01/14/2014, 06:05 PM	#4
Misled RC Mod Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Pittsburgh, Pa Posts: 11,440 Blog Entries: 11	I believe you are talking about these guys?? My rock is pretty holey and my hermit molts almost every month or so. They need a hiding place to do this as they are very vulnerable till things harden up. __________________ Jesse I'm not saying I'm Batman. I'm just saying nobody has ever seen me and Batman in a room together.

01/14/2014, 07:19 PM	#6
Misled RC Mod Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Pittsburgh, Pa Posts: 11,440 Blog Entries: 11	Mine is very active. He never stops. I've even seen him eat valonia. They are more scavengers than algae eaters. Excess foods, decaying or dead inverts. I have no real green algae in my tank, so I can't say how he would do with that. __________________ Jesse I'm not saying I'm Batman. I'm just saying nobody has ever seen me and Batman in a room together.

01/14/2014, 08:20 PM	#8
Misled RC Mod Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Pittsburgh, Pa Posts: 11,440 Blog Entries: 11	You're saying little guy, but these hermits aren't small. About twice the size of scarlet or three times the size of regular blue legs. They are clumsy if you have frags or things that can be knocked around. He hasn't bothered anything in my tank. __________________ Jesse I'm not saying I'm Batman. I'm just saying nobody has ever seen me and Batman in a room together.

01/14/2014, 05:37 PM	#3
RoTTen2TheCore Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 228	That thought occurred, I just figured they would dig into the sand. Anyone actually have these guys in their tank? Have they turned your coals and rock into Swiss cheese? ;-)

01/14/2014, 06:46 PM	#5
RoTTen2TheCore Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 228	Yeah my rocks have a lot of holes too. I guess just seeing a gaping hole in my coral out me on edge lol. How do you find them as algae eaters?

01/14/2014, 08:00 PM	#7
smom1976 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: pensacola fl Posts: 61	Is there anything that this little guy would not be good with? toying with what we would like to put in our tank..

01/14/2014, 09:15 PM	#9
MSreefdoc Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 68	Aren't these guys suppose to be better at eating algae than the red legged hermits? Just asking cause I'm making a CUC purchase in the next few days.

01/14/2014, 09:29 PM	#10
Misled RC Mod Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Pittsburgh, Pa Posts: 11,440 Blog Entries: 11	Yea, they will eat more than red legs or the little blue legs. I wouldn't expect them to clean a tank of algae though. Most snails are better in my opinion. Nice thing is, these guys don't mess with snails. __________________ Jesse I'm not saying I'm Batman. I'm just saying nobody has ever seen me and Batman in a room together.

01/14/2014, 09:46 PM	#11
RoTTen2TheCore Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 228	Yeah I have a large zebra leg hermit that slaughtered all his brothers and done snails cause I didn't have enough shells lol.