What are hermit crabs doing on top of Acros?

[allabarton]

Recently I bought bunch of different hermit crabs to control Hair Algae. I find some crabs on top of Acros. Are they just cleaning (eating dead tissue)?

Could a hermit crab kill healthy Acropora?

Thank you

 

[t4zalews]

They arent eating it. My hermits do this all the time. I just grab them and throw them off. Sometimes they molt in this position. They aren't eating your acros, but to help out the coral, pull them off and put them on the other side of the tank. That's what I do, no worries

 

[allabarton]

Thank you, Taylor. I am glad to here that.

 

[deepseadan]

I hate it when hermit crabs sit on my acros. I flick them off and they are back in a couple minutes. Just grab them and put em on the other side of the tank and that should do the trick. Mine don't really do that anymore now though so you should be good in a while.

 

[rlpardue]

I had this one hermit crab in my seahorse tank that always sought out the highest point in the tank. He would climb his way up all my branching rock, perch on the tip of the top one and just stay there. I'd flick him off out of curiosity and he would be in the exact same spot the next day. Flicked him a dozen times, same response. Who can fathom the mind of a crab?!

 

[Chaotic Reefer4u]

Funny silly crabs