I bought a large hermit crab a month ago and have it in a 55g along with a CC starfish (this is my QT tank BTW, that's why there is no fish in there). I woke up this morning to find another crab about 1/2 the size of the large one. This one didn't have a shell. There is no mate in there and I'm certain it isn't a molt. Do hermit crabs reproduced easily?
Hermit crabs reproducing in tank?
- Thread starter jmccown
- Start date
graveyardworm
Premium Member
Hermit crabs rarely reproduce successfully in aquaria. There young go through an extended planktonic stage which are generally consumed or filtered out, plus their feeding requirements are very hard to meet in our closed systems. The other hermit your seeing if it isnt amolt likely came in as hitchiker on your LR.
J. Montgomery
Mouth Pipetting
I have three blue-legged hermit crabs that mate fairly frequently (they lock their shells together and stay stuck to each other for over a day), but I haven't seen any consequences of it . . . and from David's repsonse, it sounds like I won't see any consequences of it.
graveyardworm
Premium Member
the most likely consequence would be planktonic food for your corals and fish. They are capable of reproduction and do so frequently. Late at night if your there at the right time you will see them release their young into the water, and witness them swiming around.
