Crab ID

[chueu]

What type of hermit crab are these three that I have?

Also I was on a torch at night and i found a hitchiker>? keeper?

 

[Betta132]

I don't know what kind of hermits those are, but they're cool.
Can you get a not-blurry pic of the thing? It's either a baby hairy squat lobster (actually a very small species of crab, harmless) or a gall crab. A gall crab burrows into the skeleton of a coral and hides there. It isn't usually harmful to the coral, though it can occasionally irritate the coral slightly by existing. Either way, it's not a bad thing, in fact it's something interesting.
There's a tiny chance it's a baby something else, so do get a better picture, but in the meantime don't kill it.

 

[chueu]

I gave it away to sump lol...

The hermit are very cool... I spend so much time watching them. I just want to know what they are, diver friend picked those up.. He has like 30 of them

 

[sam.basye]

Pic #2 is a clibanarius longitarsus hermit. Really nice teal coloration. Can't see the others in the pics very well. It's very similar to one I have, mines yellow with same claws. Eat algae and devours the kind that looks like thin gray feathers.

 

[chueu]

Thanks for the id.. I get the feeling all three are the same. They were picked up together whilst diving. I'll get a beer pic later if i can.

Yea. They cleaned up my tank very well

 

[chueu]

This a pic of the medium one. I'll try the larger one later

 

[sam.basye]

Looks similar to the other one, here's a pic of mine. Clibanarius vittatus. Tan, faint yellow striping with yellow eye stalks and blue eyes.

Where did your diver friend get them?? I want a teal one. Lol

 

[chueu]

The pincer looks slightly different..

In the local seas. I live in southeast asia.

I need to go find shells for them. Last trip to the beach i couldnt find any..

 

[sam.basye]

I'll see it he cooperates when I get home and let's me take his picture. The claws have a thin black line on the inner part and the overall pincher is small and shaped for trimming algae. He is often spotted climbing the silicone holding the tank together. Mine pulled some pieces off doing so in my old tank.

I guess southeast Asia is a little far away..

If you really couldn't find any shells, craft stores often have bags of them for sale if you run out of options. Just wash and toss in.

 

[sam.basye]

More pics of mine, caught him in the act. lol

 

[chueu]

Looks cool... i need to find shell.. not sure what depth of water i shud be looking in

 

[sam.basye]

I've found that you either have to get lucky and find them washed up in the morning before other people find them or looking for areas with a lot of rocky areas in smoothie depth water. There is usually an empty shell or two. If you have any local fish stores, you can probably buy them real cheap, like mine sells empty shells for 15¢ each.

 

[chueu]

My lfs all have no shells.. Heading to beach tomorrow lol

 

[sam.basye]

At least you have the beach! What does the area you/friend dive at look like? Take a pic to post when you go.

 

[chueu]

Yea.. i will