Hermit killing Six-line wrasse

[trmiv]

Anyone had their six-line go homicidal on hermit crabs? Today one of my hermits was changing shells, and my six-line comes along, snaps him up, and proceeds to beat his shellless body against the rocks. She took him to the back where I couldn't get to him, kept beating him against the rocks, and ate him. I know six-lines will eat crustaceans, but this is the first time I've seen her do this. She doesn't touch my cleaner wrasse, but he is like 3 times her size. Anyone seen their six-line attack a hermit?

[lgreen]

haven't seen that one yet. doesn't suprise me though. people have said they eat shrimp, but i hadn't seen crab before.

 

weird. I had a sixline for about 1 1/2 years and it never touched any hermits or any of my shrimp.

[kraphtymac]

I'll buy him from you, and kill the world's population of hermits... or at least my tank's populace.

[birdman204]

They will eat many small crustaceans, including shrimp and hermits if they are hungry enough. I am assuming it is in a nano, otherwise it would graze the rocks for copepods. If it isn't in a nano, then you've got a piglet 6 line

[trmiv]

It's a nano, and she's always grazing. She cleaned out my flatworm population, and all the copepods and amphipods on the glass withing a few weeks. The fuge does spit out a few that she snaps up. She is a pig though, she eats anything. Flake, frozen,whatever, if she can eat it, she will.

 

I know they eat crustaceans, but I had just never seen her do it before. The hermits change shells all the time, but she was just in the right place at the right time to get this one.

[slickchick]

Yep, this is very typical of 6-lines

[oldtimer]

Wrasses are aggressive carnivores. They will eat anything they can get in their mouth. The only reason the six-line is considered reef-safe is that it is small. My twin-spot hogfish ate a cleaner shrimp twice its size. A wrasse is a wrasse is a wrasse.