north east hermit crabs

[mbsinglet]

hello got a question and i think i know the answer but thought that i would throw it out there.

Has any one used hermit crabs from the New England area for there tank. In the summer time the water gets into the high sixties and in the estuaries into the 70's. so i dont think that the temperature would be a problem. They are not the cool scarlet color. I was thinking for my sump and refugium. They dont have to be pretty to do work for me.

Yes I know contamination issues what if they bring hitchhikers with them.... i was walking out on the flats in front of my house and i bet i could collect 50 in five minutes.

Any thoughts

mike

 

[Guygettnby]

the tempature may be a problem. but i have collected many different hermits from different states and had them in a tank at one point in time. just make sure to have a quarentine tank to keep them in for awhile with very good filtration. i would grab a few of them and try to find exactly what kind they are before you waste your time.

 

[Sugar Magnolia]

Yup, temperature will eventually get to them considering our reef tanks tend to do best in the 78-80 degree range.

 

[Beaun]

I have them in my tank, which is temperate. I would assume that the reef temperature will become an issue for them. They aren't made to handle high temperatures for long periods of time. They are great at getting at your detritus and move around a lot more than do reef hermits, but I would be warry about putting them in a reef tank.

 

[Paul B]

I collect them in the New York area and generally they do not last more than a few weeks in my reef, but I have an unheated tank in my workshop where I still have a local hermit crab from last summer. That tank is probably about 72 degrees.
This one is also a NY hermit crab that I photographed at night in the Long Island Sound
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[RyanSweatt2004]

I live in ME and have colected plenty of hermit crabs along the coast of harpswell ME even just this last spring I caught about 25-30 of them before the water even hit 50 degrees. With the proper acclimation and quarintine time I've never had an issue keeping them for long periods of time with my tropical hermits in a reef tank. In my opinion except the lack of color they are alot more active and fun to watch.