red leg vs blue leg hermit

[kamikaze_fish]

What's the real difference between these to and which would you get and why?

[seahorsejl]

I think I have heard that blues are "more reef safe" ... meaning, I think they stay smaller. I have a read that is getting pretty large... he has killed a turbo and astrea for their shells. All of my blues have never progressed past cerith sized shells.

 

So when I needed more for my 75 gallon, I went will all blues.

[laurajm]

Not sure, but I was told red legs are more aggressive to coral. I have blue legs, and they are very well behaved.

[neuwave]

hmm not sure, between the two now do you mean red legged or scarlet reef because alot of people get them confused and so do retailers. The red leggged ones just have red legs and get a bit bigger and are similar to the blue legged as far as habits and traits. Scarlets have small yellow tipped antena and primarly eat algae but will forage for left overs in the tank and they remain fairly small. Red legs are a bit more aggresive and will kill the occasional snail for a shell.

[seabass]

I would treat crabs as ornamental. Although both Scarlet Reef Hermits and Blue Leg Hermits are reef safe, they also prey on beneficial fauna. I'd consider getting just one. Scarlets get bigger but are more herbivorous. However, both are big fun to watch.

[kamikaze_fish]

That's good info. I didn't realize the difference between red legged and scarlet so I'll look for the yellow when I go saturday unless I just go with blue legged altogether. Is there anything special for acclimating them?

[douglam]

just dont mix blue legs with scarlets because your nice expensive scarlets will end up dead.

[seabass]

Just drop them it; they are very hardy.

 

just dont mix blue legs with scarlets because your nice expensive scarlets will end up dead.

I have both types in my 40 gallon; but then again, I'd probably limit the number of crabs in a nano to one.

[johnmaloney]

having owned thousands of both I can honestly say the diffence between the two are these:

 

1. $2

2. One is red one is blue

 

 

I get more complaints about red leg hermits killing snails, but I think that is just b/c they are the "in" hermit right now. I am sure 2 years ago you heard the same about blues. Hermits need shells, won't die to be nice to a snail, so it happens... (it is just frustrating when they don't like the pile of empty shells you bought for them! ) The only hermit I have never see take a shell is the left handed hermits. (I think they are called orange claws on the net, they call them left handed here b/c there left claw is bigger than their right - the claw is also red not orange...) I am pretty sure it is only b/c they can't fit their claw into the opperculum of the shells I have kept them with. Jades are pretty calm too, especially for a med. to large hermit. (med - large in reefs at least)

[Aqua newbie]

red legs (not scarlet reef)-may eat your corals, knock over corals, and may knock over your aquascape, these also will kill your snail for their shells.

 

scarlet crabs-are the most peaceful, but may not be as effiecient, and look the best and are the most expensive

 

blue-are efficient and look pretty good

[debbeach13]

I have scarlet red crabs they seem peaceful, eat algea and also stir the sand when I skip feeding the tank for a couple days. There are 3 in a 5.5gallon tank.

[ttolliver]

I have two largely ornamental hermits that have both grown quite large. One is blue and black banded and the other is orange and black banded (big blue and halloweenie, respectively). Neither have been caught being particularly aggressive to each other, snails, the dozen or so smaller cheap crabs, or corals.

 

That being said, I do have to replace the snail component of my CUC muuuuch more regularly than I do crabs. If I do some figuring, I'd say I probably add a dozen snails back into the tank every 6 months. So I guess that's a shrink rate of one every 2 weeks.

 

So while I've never actually seen a snail attacked or in the process of being consumed, it is happening and someone is doing it ;~)

 

The lack of apparent aggression has always made me thing it's crabs being opportunistic when a snail lands on it's back and can't right itself. This seems to be supported by almost never losing nasarious snails (the sand sifter ones, I might have the wrong name...I never can keep snail names straight) that are awesome about righting themselves.

 

Thanks,

Tom

[bbales]

I have both, and in my experience

 

Red Legs: slow, large, never see doing much

Blue Legs: faster, smaller, and really efficient in large numbers as algae control, they will eat any meaty thing including sick or dying fish, I had a royal gramma that was eaten within a few hours of falling ill.

 

I have never had a problem with them eating corals

 

hope this helps

[subielover]

Don't get either, stick with a few snails and good tank husbandry.

[jonrx]

Have had both.

 

Both kill snails.

 

Both kill each other.

 

Both are bad.

 

#### crabs.

[ribbie]

Is it possible to run a nano without any crabs at all? I was under the impression that they were a key part of your clean up crew to keep things clean.

 

I had planned on getting an emerald and some hermits but I might have to reconsider that after reading the comments in this thread.

[kamikaze_fish]

Yes it's possible. I like the blue leg best but wanted to see the differences before buying some. I've got a 3g pico that has some hair algae so I was thinking this would be a great choice for cleanup. I'm now just trying to figure out if I should get just 1 at a time or just go ahead and buy 3 and see how they do.

[seahorsejl]

Yes it's possible. I like the blue leg best but wanted to see the differences before buying some. I've got a 3g pico that has some hair algae so I was thinking this would be a great choice for cleanup. I'm now just trying to figure out if I should get just 1 at a time or just go ahead and buy 3 and see how they do.

 

For hair algae, turbo snails have worked the best for me. I use crabs more for excess food cleanup.

 

Though a turbo might be a bit much for a pico.

[subielover]

I don't have any crabs as a part of my clean up crew in my Biocube. I have an extremely low amount of algae if any. Snails and good tank husbandry is all that is needed, IMO.

[johnmaloney]

snail only crew? sure they work the best actually. Even with regular hair algae? Maybeish with dedicated husbandry yes.

 

snail only crew if you have long hair algae? Yes if your tank is big enough for the larger bulldozing snails. otherwise hermits would be a good choice for you 3 gallon. Get like 10 from the LFS, wait until the devour it all, catch 10 hermits and donate them to the LFS and get the crew you want.

[ocean_of_mirth]

crabs are a real pain, IMO. They kill each other, and they will climb up onto your expensive corals to get the food out of them that you just put in.

 

Bristle worms do the best job of any "cleanup crew" that I have ever seen. They don't die off if you don't feed them, but if something dies then they are all "johnny on the spot" devouring whatever it is that you want to get rid of.

 

Nassarius snails are also much better than crabs -- they don't bother your corals and knock them over trying to get to the food.

[PSYS]

For a 3-gal. pico, my CUC is pretty aggressive. I only have one hermit though... a reg-legged hermit and doesn't mess with any of my snails or corals. He's a constant grazer on my live rock... I'd like to think he's a beneficial part of my small reef.

[cirrus pete]

I am way overstocked on hermits from my initial cycle clean up, and will be returning some back to the store. They have eaten every non-sandsifting snail that happens to fall on its back. And yes they do get all over the coral.

It is amazing the way they suddenly become active the second food hits the water too.

[GiantBen]

I have four red-legged hermits in my BC29. Guy at the LFS said they are more diligent cleaners than the blue leggers. I got them to clean my sand and they do a pretty good job of it....on one side of the tank. On the right side of my tank, the sand looks white and groomed. They are avoiding the left side, don't know why. I have only had them a week, and they have not bugged my snails or coral. They climb on the turbos and clean the algae on their shell sometimes.

[bzphotog]

I have blues and love them. they accepted empty shells that I have left for them and dont bother anything in the tank. They will like anything else crawl on your corals but thats life.