Hermit Crab ID (and is it eating SPS)

[andamanocean]

As mentioned last week, i went to a wedding and the cold was not turned on resulting in an increase from 30-35 (its boiling here) anyway the monsoon season hit a few days after i returned and aulthough i lost a 10 x 5 acro colony everything else appeared to weather it.

Temp is now between 25.6 - 26.9 during the day, (new fans bought are really working coupled with air con on 10-18 hrs a day).

However i picked up a new shipment of CUC and Fishes from the LFS (still open luckily for now) and ive noticed the hermits spending a lot of time with one entire colony, for the record i pulled it out 2 days back because there was a hairy crab in there and a black emerald which have been sump'd (one was eating them slowly but enough that i noticed).

Now i've seen striped bleaching up there .

and i am unsure whether one of the new hermits is eating his way through ... i hope not as monsoon is here, most corals on the shallow reef outside the back have disappeared (died) and its too rough to go over the low tide mark for the drop to get replacements (till Oct/Nov/Dec) and impossible to buy corals ...

I was kinda hoping to get this growth perfect (the LPS are doing really well mind) and then come Oct etc have a 200+++g system (max 1000g)

What type of Hermit is it??

Is it eating the SPS or cleaning the dead off (polyp extension has / was amazing today by the way since moving up 4 inches).

 

[Keoki18]

Looks like what is referred to as a "green legged hermit". I have a few that accidently came in with some blue legs. They seem to be omnivorous but not necessarily coral aggressive (although I don't think that they would pass up a coral meal if they were hungry). I still have a few that are roughly the size of yours and they don't really bother my reef. Its most likely feeding off of dead tissue, especially the way that the necrosis is moving on your pictured colony.

 

[andamanocean]

Actually it's http://www.wildsingapore.com/wildfacts/crustacea/othercrust/anomura/hermit/stripeblue.htm

"Blue Stripe Hermit or Clibanarius longitarsus"

the question is are the reef safe, they spend a lot of time in the colony and its growing whiter... but polyps extended... i have a feeling they have been munching on it, so took one out and knocked the other to the sand, low and behold he was back up there in it again within a few seconds, now both in a tub, likely going to put them in the sump, shame *** actually paid for these ones..

Anyway... any one had any experience with them, and can reassure me they are doing good not bad...