Check this guy out!!!

[ALBERTA REEF]

So I have been meaning to start a thread on this Guy. But first the story about him. My friend has bought two this guys thinking that they would handle his long hair alge problem. He was wrong. they distroyed his tank ate everything but the hair alge. Then he moved them in a tank of there own for awhile. He got bore of them. So he asked me if I would take them. I said yes Knowing what they are.I saw them at the LFS a month before. I was planning to start a weird speices tank. Everything was good for a month until the smaller one attacked the bigger one when it was moulting. I mean distroyed him one leg and a claw. The one I have left has moulted at least 6 time. He is bigger then a baseball and small them a soft ball. His a Red Hermit Crab. More ornge the red. It may reach the size of an adult human fist with an appetite to match. I feed him a shrimp or two from the local supper market. so here he is!

http://i884.photobucket.com/albums/ac48/ALBERTAREEF/CRAB%20TANK/IMG_1650.jpg

http://i884.photobucket.com/albums/ac48/ALBERTAREEF/CRAB%20TANK/IMG_1649.jpg

http://i884.photobucket.com/albums/ac48/ALBERTAREEF/CRAB%20TANK/IMG_1630.jpg

http://i884.photobucket.com/albums/ac48/ALBERTAREEF/CRAB%20TANK/IMG_1629.jpg

http://i884.photobucket.com/albums/ac48/ALBERTAREEF/CRAB%20TANK/IMG_1628.jpg

http://i884.photobucket.com/albums/ac48/ALBERTAREEF/CRAB%20TANK/IMG_1627.jpg

http://i884.photobucket.com/albums/ac48/ALBERTAREEF/CRAB%20TANK/IMG_1626.jpg

So what do everyone think? :biggrin:

[lobsterboy]

that is one big hermit. :surprise:

[i have crabs]

heres mine,
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/djdirtyc/dec26154.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v508/djdirtyc/feb162007002.jpg

hes a bit over 5 years old, i usually feed him pellets but also toss in chunks of shrimp or whatever i have around, i also use him to clean up my xenia lol, out of the tens of thousands ive spent everyone loves the crab the most, i had him in a 67g tank for the last couple years, hes is now in a 50g section of a sump and is soon gonna be moved to a giant sandbed tank which will probably be in the 77-120g range, hes the best sandbed mixer ever.
ive tried keeping things with him over the years but they dont last long, the only thing he didnt bother chasing were cromis but i was scared he would eventually get them at night while they hid in the rocks,hes about the size of a softball and i actually have alot of trouble finding shells but hes done growing now i think he hasnt really grown in the last 2 years

[BullDog]

He's quite cool looking! What size of tank is that?
I like his shell by the way :D

[ALBERTA REEF]

i have crabs, nice one. I find the best place for shells is Michaels. I my guy is in a 10 gallon tank.

[i have crabs]

i have crabs, nice one. I find the best place for shells is Michaels. .

i think thats where i got most of them actually, even the biggest ones they usually have are just barly big enough.

[RuGlu6]

Try macro mode on your camera... close up focusing.
cool critter though.

[vic622]

I sure hope my cleanup-crew hermits don't decide to get this big :eek:

[mike31154]

Ha ha, reminds me of the White Spot Hermit (Dardanus megistos) I had for allmost a year. Should have known better and researched before buying. He was still fairly small at the LFS, missing his big claw and looked so colourful and cool, I couldn't resist.

He was about the best sand sifting critter I've had in my system but he grew pretty fast, moulting every two weeks or so. Grew back the big claw and things started getting interesting after a couple of months. Had to find some extra large shells for him at the Dollar Store 'cause he outgrew them pretty quick.

As I said, great sand sifter and very entertaining to watch but as he grew some of my other inverts became meals between his sand sifting duties. He chewed up my sand sifting starfish, one large snail and two pencil urchins. My brittle stars didn't even come out at night anymore and one lost part of an appendage, I suspect to the 'herminator'. He also did a fine job of fragging my hammer coral into three parts. Didn't eat them, just so big and clumsy, he walked all over everything. Still, he was a riot, I saw him launch himself from the live rock from almost 2/3 rds of the way up and land on the substrate, a jumper!

But alas, being the opportunist that hermits are, with his size he was getting too destructive & had to go, no sump to put him in. I brought him back to the same LFS, at least 4 shell sizes larger and with both of his claws. Didn't get any credit and didn't really expect any, I enjoyed having him and still think I got my money's worth, if only in experience...

Here's a pic from a while back. Yep had an algae issue. The small blue legged hermie hitching a ride on his back was hilarious and provides some sense of scale as to his size. I saw him try to munch the small hermies a number of times, but they were smart enough to retract way back into their shell and herminator's huge claw just couldn't get in there so no small hermies were lost to the dude. The pencil urchin in the background was not as fortunate, he's already missing some spines in this photo.

http://ogfarq.blu.livefilestore.com/y1phWMvR0U3Vs-RrjyzizQifTM7-WcoIYieoMDeINYLVx_SR0dDzlqksj2ffvhGEg8TlEQl8QA2Ovv fYADz3v7guA/P1010422a.JPG

[globaldesigns]

they are almost big enough for dinner.

Just kidding, but wow!!! I agree nice shells.

Anyone looking for a nice Blue legged crab... very beatiful, but I have him in one of my overflows... was in my sons 2 gallon sw tank, but found it that it liked eating his fish, as his first nemo I found did and munched on. I didn't suspect him... but when my son came screaming for me and I go to see that here is his second Nemo caught by the crab, still alive, but when I tried to get him to let go, all the stress I created eventually was terminal to the little guy. So I grabbed the crab and threw him in my overflow and off the the LFS for Nemo #3, who is happy and growing stress free with a blenny and a cleaner shrimp.

If anyone interested make me an offer and come get him, very bright blue in a shell that is maybe 2-3 inches, so decent size. I live in S.W. Calgary