Hermits need food?

[RedSkaNite]

I have a week old tank with 3 hermit crabs. There is still a little nitrite and nitrate in the tank. I know, I know-the LFS guy told me it would be fine to take them since I was using cured stuff, he wanted to sell me more. I'm glad I didn't.

 

Anyway, the larger of the 2 scarlet hermits is commiting what seems to be a shelljacking ATM. He has been prying his claws into the other guy's shell for about an hour. He definatley doesn't need a better shell, he has a big one, and there are others in the tank. Is he hungry? I don't want to feed the tank now before the cycle is totally complete, but maybe I need to if the hermits are eating eachother. The other hermit is busily rooting around the LR, but since I'm not totally sure what they eat and what they leave, I can't be sure there is enough food for the 3. Advice?

[flaunt]

sometimes hermits bludgeon each other to death for no apparent reason. occasionally i feed mine sinking shrimp pellets (freshwater fish food), but not too much because i don't want them to completely stop scavenging. you might try a bit of that, but one pellet goes a long way so keep that in mind!

[BustytheSnowMaam]

If he is kind of pulling on the other hermit in-out-in-out, making a clicking noise, then actually he is mating with that hermit. The male hermit mates with the female right before she molts. You will see the female shed in a day or two (unless the detrivores in the tank clean up the shell too quickly).

 

If he is committing a shelljacking, you will see the other hermit attempting to get away from him. As a last resort, the shelljacked hermit will vacate his shell and hide somewhere else. If it is mating, the female hermit will sit there curled up in her shell and let the male do his thing (however that is accomplished).

 

After a couple of weeks, shine a light into the tank an hour or so after lights out, and you will see the female ejecting larvae. They look like mosquito larvae.

 

As for feeding them, if you don't have a lot of algae yet it doesn't hurt to drop shrimp pellets or algae wafers in once or twice a week. If you see them wandering around on the bottom looking bored, it probably means they are hungry.

 

Tasha

[RedSkaNite]

I think they were mating. My wife was watching and said she saw some white particulate matter spraying between them. I checked it out, looked like the larger hermit was covered with dandruff. She asked if it was some defensive thing. I said I thought it might be baby batter.

 

I'll get some of that food to try out later, but for now there is a little algae growth on one of the rocks they are still tearing at.

 

Oh btw the smaller crab has now climbed up the corner of that tank and is hanging out, so I'm not totally sure it's happy, but I will keep them together for now.