ive got a thief i need help

[demonboy279]

ok im having a slight problem. heres the overview on my tank. i have 1 true percula clown ,1 occelaris clown ,1 bar goby ,a small serpent star, a curly que anemone about the size of a half dollar, a zenia, featherduster, and 3 snails.

i had 11 hermits now i have 7. thats the problem. i have a half dozen or so shells laying in there that they could get and theyve been there just as long as they hermits themselves.

i keep finding dead hermits and there are no empty shells. i dont have any idea where they could be. im looking everywhere in my liverock aand its not on my sand. what could possibly be the cause of this?

also just 5 minutes ago i had a shelless hermit run out on a rock and his shell is nowhere to be found so i gave him one of the shells thats been empty since the start.

do i have a clepto hitch hiker or is there something i dont know?

thanks for any and all opinions

 

[Sk8r]

What color is the serpent star? They have been known to go predatory. Something is holding the shell, and the hermit bailed to save itself, is my theory, so I'm suspecting something that can grip. Sometimes hermits will eject one another from shells, but wholesale slaughter is not their style. If a hermit leaves a shell, of course, he's fishfood. Post this in the invertebrate forum and see if it rings a bell. Meanwhile drop the serpent star into the sump and see if the crab-ejection stops.

 

[DgenR8]

My first guess is that your hermits are molting.

 

[demonboy279]

no they definitely aint molting because the shells are disappearing. ive been counting and they are not all there.

the serpent is tiger striped. his tentacles or arms are only like 3 inches long hes small his center body is about the size of the hermits

 

[a4twenty]

i'm gonna say that 6 extra shell is not enough for 11 hermits. as they grow they need slightly larger shells to move into. if they get to big for the shell they are in and no others are laying around ( not way to big or the same size ) they have no choice but to go naked. then they just become dinner for you fish or serpent star. i have 10 hermits and about 40 or 50 empty shells for them. the reason your not fiding empty shells is that the hermits are abandoning their homes behind the rocks for safety

 

[Sk8r]

That breed of serpent star should be safe. I think the others are possibly right: I've never lacked shells, so I've never seen that behavior, but I've heard of it. Get a good range of spare shells from your lfs and if possible duplicate the species of shell they're already using---those are best for them. Good luck.

 

[demonboy279]

i dont have to much rock i can see behind all my rockwork and in between every piece. thats the thing i can see everywhere except under the rocks and in the sand. ive looked everywhere

 

[sporty]

I have the same problem and I know its the blenny from hell.He has killed all with the exception of 1.Watch him he'll pick it up and cruise around and into the window to try and crack them open.
He's a really nice one but killed all my hermits caught him to give him away even though it was breaking my heart .then my 5 year old daughter saw it and had to put him back in. so check him it might be him.

 

[sporty]

sorry thought you said you had a blenny.

 

[demonboy279]

anybody else? any ideas or opinions?

please help

 

[cw150]

Either you don't have enough shells or your water chemistry is bad, but if your water chemistry was bad, your other inverts like the serpent star would likely be suffering too. So I vote shells. Crabs are cheap don't sweat it.

 

[kenny77]

How many pound of LR you have? in my 55g I had 25 hermit crabs. I ones they hide in the LR you won't find them. WHen I move everything from one tank to another I count 25 hermit crabs. And I had a hermit crabs predator( snowflake eel).

hermit crabs are very hiding in places were they only fit and can feed. Try looking at night if you see them but I don't think you will be able yo see them all out of the LR. from 25 the most I count at ones was about 15

 

[demonboy279]

i have somewhere between 10-20 pounds im not sure exactly right now but i can see everywhere its not got to many places they could hide i can see pretty much everything.

if it was my water chemisty or not enough shells then why am i finding dead hermits but no shells. they are not molting because its is the full body insides and all. but there are still no shells. ive found 4 dead ones so far but i cant find the shells to them anywhere