Mystery Hermit Crab

[jservedio]

I picked up a few hermit crabs back in January and this guy was included. He was really tiny back then (maybe 1/2" leg tip to leg tip in a small cerith shell) and I assumed it was a dwarf white leg hermit. It moved into a full-grown turbo shell about 3 months ago and it was a comically large hat, but it isn't anymore... This hermit is a little over 1.5" leg tip to leg tip after only 6 months.

 

Also, a sizeable portion of the CUC has vanished. I initially assumed it was just from shipping them in the winter, but now I'm not so sure since I caught him poking around my conch yesterday.

 

Can anyone ID this guy and tell me if I need to banish him to the sump or is it probably going to stay this size? Sorry for the very gray photo, but it's very much nocturnal and he always hides under overhangs so there isn't a ton of light down there. The hermit is pure black and white.

 

[LazyFish]

I cant think of the name right now but I do remember that this kind gets quite large and can often be found on beaches. Can be voracious. I would put it in sump.

 

Edit: thin lined hermit Clibanarius vittatus ( I think that's it) frequently found in the Caribbean.

[jservedio]

5 minutes ago, LazyFish said:

I cant think of the name right now but I do remember that this kind gets quite large and can often be found on beaches. I would put it in sump.

Thank you! Your "can often be found on beaches" was the clue I needed to ID it! It's a Clibanarius vittatus, also known as the "Thin Striped Hermit Crab" and it can get up to 3" across - it's going to be a monster! Thankfully I have two even larger turbo shells in the tank and I'll pick up a conch shell or two next time I'm at the LFS. Since it eats hair algae I'm going to leave it in the DT until it gives me a reason not to!

 

Here's the Reef Cleaners link (where it came from): https://www.reefcleaners.org/aquarium-store/tank-cleaners/thin-striped-hermit-detail

[LazyFish]

Yes that's it. I had a brain fart I think added the name right when you posted this. They are voracious eaters and do kill and eat snails and other things.