SA Red Leg Hermits

[Aquattro]

wanna borrow my slingshot?

[DJ88]

Hermits will climb into a coral branch for protection while it sheds. I know the SA red legs I have do this.

As for sliming I can't help you there. None of mine do this when the hermits are in them.

[One_Divided]

I'd heard good things about these hermits in terms of being reef safe so I bought 5. I keep seeing them climbing in my acros and montis. I can't tell if they are picking at the corals, but I am seeing a fair bit of sliming.

What do you guys think? Are they just scouting out for food or are they doing damage? Should I pay them a visit to Mr. Mantis? Anyone else have experience with these buggers?

-Adam

[Delphinus]

Wellll .... don't feed them to the mantis. Someone will take them off your hands if you don't want them.

It seems to me if the corals were being damaged, you'd know it, ie., you'd see the damage. The slime, in and of itself, isn't really indicative of damage. My guess (it is really only a guess) is that the corals aren't used to the sensation of the little prickly legs, and as such are reacting. But they should acclimate eventually: many acroporas in the wild house commensal crabs, these crabs never leave the coral and the coral is fine. So you'd "think" they'd be able to get used to such a thing.

Just my $0.02...

[Samw]

I bought 20 of them 2 weeks ago. So far, I haven't seen them harm any corals. I watch them but haven't really even seen them eat anything yet, not even hair/bryopsis algae. However, I saw a large one beat up a similar sized scarlet crab and take its shell. I have photos of this fight that I'm going to post. He didn't kill the scarlet, he just took the shell.

I bought them because I read that "This small crab is the best algae eating hermit crab we have tested" and "These red legged crabs are very effective at eating hair algae."

I'm not really sure who's quote these are but I found it from here:

http://www.athiel.com/lib4/digueti.htm

[ 29 April 2002, 13:40: Message edited by: Sam W ]

[DJ88]

Sam,

They will eat hair algae. But they won't eat Bryopsis. Take my word for it. Bryopsis is either mildly toxic or just plain tastes bad. Nothing other than the lettuce sea slug eats bryopsis as far as I know. And once they eat it they will die due to lack of food.