Sunstar Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 I bought some hermits a couple weeks ago and they were of the blue legged type. One however appears to have black legs with white line running from tip to body. It is quite pretty. Unfortunately my better camera cannot move the information off as My computer lacks a slot. Edit: Bah, thisis the best I can do. Link to comment
Benny314 Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Sounds like some I have, sold as algae eating hermits. They have black legs with white speckles and lines and white tips. Their bodies are dark or grey some with continuing speckling on the carapace. Think they're pretty common. Link to comment
Sunstar Posted February 25, 2015 Author Share Posted February 25, 2015 Are they good as algae eating? I just got some as CuC. The other one is definitely a blue legged. It's really pretty either way. It's eyestalks are blue. antenna are red. Link to comment
Benny314 Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 To be honest all my hermits are fairly hopeless at algae eating, I have 2 red legs (they did some work when I first got them, but are slacking off now), think I have lost all my dwarf blue legs, haven't seen any lately, and the 'algae eating' hermits again never really did much in my fluval edge when first introduced and now I am running a big 3X2X2 system I have to look to spot any. I have a very large electric blue hermit (blue legs with black joints and bright orange eye stalks, green pincers) and he is meant to be an algae exclusive eater, however he prefers meatier offerings, was bloody quick to clean up fish losses during my fishbola (velvet) out break at the start of the year and is currently living in the first chamber of my sump due to him attempting to eat my conch who is loved by my wife (and me, he's so funny to watch) so he wasn't much cop for algae control either but he is keeping the first chamber of my sump spotlessly clean of any waste food. Hermits are good at rooting around in the top layer of sand and in the cracks and crevices of the live rock, picking up dropped food, from pellets and flake to meatier things (they're also very comical to watch), but snails or grazing fish like tangs and rabbits are the answer to most algae control along with the obvious keeping nutrients in control and running a sensible lighting routine. Link to comment
Sunstar Posted February 25, 2015 Author Share Posted February 25, 2015 I am in a 1.5 gallon pico. I kicked them out of there for a while as I was trying to get some zoas to recover and not be harassed by stomping hermits. I only just noticed that this one is black andwhite legged. Link to comment
Benny314 Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Well that rules out the tang or rabbitfish option lol. Snails will be your best option to keep things under control along with controlling your nutrients to prevent plage levels of growth. Link to comment
hypostatic Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Meh, all hermits are pretty much the same at a small size; once they get big enough that's when you should be worrying about them eating other stuff. The hermit crab ID site is currently down, but if you want an ID that'd be the best place to look without a good picture:http://www.recif.be/article/hermit.htm Link to comment
Sunstar Posted February 25, 2015 Author Share Posted February 25, 2015 Well that rules out the tang or rabbitfish option lol. Snails will be your best option to keep things under control along with controlling your nutrients to prevent plage levels of growth. It happened oddly after I took a rock from my neglected 10, and added it to the newly setup 1.5 (which as the best lights, and whatnot) then it went Holy hanna! and grew like mad. The snail is in the 10 at the moment because it took care of the 1.5. regular removal has been fairly decent. What I want is a lettuce Nudi. Link to comment
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