A few questions...

[StephM33]

1. We have a red-legged hermit crab who has grown considerably since we bought him 2 months ago. He has molted 3 times, the last time he looks MUCH bigger, and the molting process took much longer. He tends to face the glass when he molts, and this time is took him 5 days before he moved again. His leg span is now at least an inch & a half, and is shell is about an inch, to an inch and a quarter. We're having a lot of trouble finding any large shells for him to move into. The local stores don't have anything more than tiny shells. Any thoughts?

2. We are also looking to add more crabs and/or snails to help with cleanup. We are finding a lot of "junk" on the lower rocks possibly from over feeding. What would be the best solution? I think we'd prefer crabs, but we don't want anything that would attack a fish. Are hermit crabs our best option? Any other suggestions?

3. The LFS is selling something called a Red Stripe Cone Crab. It seems to be some kind of hermit, but they all have a conical shell. They're considerably less expensive than the red-legged hermits of similar size, but I can't find any info on them by that name. Any ideas on what species this is, and whether he could help with the clean up.

Thanks for any help!
Steph

 

[Paliya]

1. You can buy empty shells from liveaquaria. There are probably other online vendors that sell them also. Empty hermit crab shells

2. I think I prefer snails. Whatever the 'junk' is, there's probably a snail that will eat it. And snails won't eat your fish All the info you need about which snails to select for your clean up crew is right here on this site. Use the search and you'll find your answers. Even googling it will turn up some good info. From personal experience, a florida fighting conch (Strombus Alatus) is a good sand bed cleaner

3. Don't know about this one, but there's some really knowledgable folks around here. I'm sure someone will!

Cheers! :beer:

 

[StephM33]

Thanks Paliya, I did just find the ones on Live Aquaria, but I don't think they ship to Canada if I remember...will have to double check.

We do have a couple of Fighting Conchs but it's not the sand bed I'm concerned with....definitely the live rock, so I'd like a snail (or crab) that stays on the rock rather than venturing to the glass or sand bed. I have used the search but was hoping for some personal suggestions as to the snail people feel does that job best. It's not algae I want cleaned, just the detrius (sp?) poop, left over food etc.

 

[b.branscombe]

I was having a real problem finding shells for my scarlet hermits as well. The LFS was selling shells for $3.99 a pop. On a whim, I went to the local Michaels (Arts and Crafts Store). They sell shell packs for decoration that have about 100 shells for about 4 dollars, all different sizes and shapes. I'd say 75% were a usable shape for hermits.

They smelled a little perfumey, so I soaked them for a couple of days in vinegar and water just in case. I put them in and they work great. Within a couple of days, I noticed 4-5 of my scarlets had migrated into the new shells.

 

[StephM33]

Thanks so much for that! I will go check them out this weekend!

Steph

 

[racrumrine]

Wal Mart also carries shells in the craft section. Much cheaper than dealing with a LFS.

For my hermits, I selected a few shells and boiled them for a few minutes. After they cooled, I tossed them into the tank.

Best of luck,

Roy