Why do my hermits love my sps?

[chrisstie]

I only have one piece of SPS a real nice frag of a green monti digitata.

lately I notice my hermit crabs like to just hang out on this thing and I am wondering a) why and b) if they can hurt it by doing this. I've been plucking them off and relocating when i can but it does seem to be a pretty hardy coral.

Any info or advice for a newbie? Thanks!

 

[NaH2Ofreak]

My hermits always end up dying after they climb up into a colony. It's almost like a purposeful event. As if they know they are dying so they climb up into the colony and wait. Then after a day or two, I end up seeing their "bodies" floating around the tank. Don't know....kinda weird and deserves investigating IMO.

Dennis

 

[shelburn61]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9028859#post9028859 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NaH2Ofreak
My hermits always end up dying after they climb up into a colony. It's almost like a purposeful event. As if they know they are dying so they climb up into the colony and wait. Then after a day or two, I end up seeing their "bodies" floating around the tank. Don't know....kinda weird and deserves investigating IMO.

Dennis

Sure those aren't just shed shells you are seeing? I bet they're molting rather than dying.

 

[Dansin]

Thats a great question mine are all over some of mine. Can't wait to here what other people say. My crabs don't die .

 

[bpd964]

They do that before they molt. And at this point, they mimic clownfish and stay up there knowing that most fish won't stick their noses in certain corals and try to eat them..

 

[bpd964]

I don't know why mine do it either.. a little strange but cool..

 

[the_anti_honda]

I agree, a lot of my hermits crawl into a colony then molt and leave the colony after a few days. I think its a defense mechanism during the period they are most vulnerable. I could be completely wrong too and they might just be doing some sort of worship to the halide gods. Who knows.

 

[NaH2Ofreak]

Hmmm...I've wondered about that. Good thing I just toss the shells back down to the substrate and don't toss them out of the tank. The "molts" do look like they have "entrails" on them however when I scoop them out. I do think it's kind of funny that I can pick one of them off the colony and put it on the other side of the tank and within an hour or so, the hermit is right back in the same colony. <shrug> don't know really. Pretty interesting though.

Dennis

 

[LBCBJ]

I've always heard that hermits "sleep" in the coral heads for protection, mine do it all of the time.

 

[Znut Reefer]

I have noticed the same thing here. I haven't seen any harm done to the acros.

 

[chrisstie]

As long as it isn't some weird bad locust type behavior then i will let them be. My monti digitata is only a week old or so in my tank and had freshly come from the LFS and the tips were slightly bleached but are coming back a nice peach color under the green. I was worried the hermits might disturb it but both crab and coral seem to be doing well.

Thanks very much for all of your replies now I know im not the only one!