cleaners...friend or foe

[jim48]

Do cleaners such as hermit crabs eat only detritus and algae or do they eat everything including all the life on live rock?

 

[LisaD]

It depends on the species. Some hermits are aggressive and predatory, especially larger ones. I like to use scarlet reef hermits, they never hurt anything.

 

[jim48]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9766371#post9766371 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LisaD
It depends on the species. Some hermits are aggressive and predatory, especially larger ones. I like to use scarlet reef hermits, they never hurt anything.

Ok Lisa, I'll look for these guys. What about blue legged hermits?

 

[JGoslee]

I have scarlet and blue legged hermits in my reef and they don't hurt anything.

 

[jim48]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9768080#post9768080 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JGoslee
I have scarlet and blue legged hermits in my reef and they don't hurt anything.

Thanks, I have blue legged hermits now and plan on getting some skarlet legged hermits. Good to here they don't harm live rock.

 

[JGoslee]

I also have a halloween hermit which is pretty big. He's about the size of a golf ball. He likes knocking frags over but he doesn't hurt anything and is a model citizen.

 

[reefmvp]

i have a lg hermitt crab in my 120 and he does a great job in cleaning my sand bed, eats all uneaten food and keeps the sand sparkling clean (great house keeper) on occasion he would move some sm pieces of lr around and kill and eat a snail that got over turn but never bother the liverock just keeps to himself hanging out on the bottom. the pros definitely out weights the cons.