Dealing with aggressive hermit crabs?

[anon3674466]

I've seen the suggestions to quarantine them, or "get rid" of them, but to what end? Is the implication here to just dispose of it?

I started off with 3 hermit crabs, down to 2 at the moment but the aggressive one is nearly twice the size of the other two, now one after the first murder. He's being aggressive with the other one now as well, and I think he may have injured it as it doesn't seem to be eating and only seems to move to run away from the bigger one.

I did buy new shells and the larger crab promptly changed homes, but he's still attacking the smaller.

On the subject of hermit crab shells, it is always so difficult to find the right sizes for hermits? I've ordered from 3 different vendors, all with a stated small entrance size, only to end up receiving whatever they seem to have in stock. I've gone through around 40 shells now with only 3 or 4 of them having been usable. Is there any reliable vendors for shells?

 

[smacbride]

It's nature. Big things in the ocean eat the littler things... My hermits will take up home in old snail shells. I've had my tank running for years and when a snail bites the dust, I just leave the shell in and eventually a hermit will use it. Usually the hermits last a few years then I buy a new supply, roughly all the same size so less cannibalism.

 

[vetteguy53081]

right into the sump

 

[anon3674466]

right into the sump

Right, I've seen this suggestion, but do you just leave him there until he runs out of food? I have a biocube and earlier today while I was doing a water change he got aggressive with the smaller one and I got ticked and that's where I put him lol. Then I regretted it and fished him out and put him back in genpop.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Right, I've seen this suggestion, but do you just leave him there until he runs out of food? I have a biocube and earlier today while I was doing a water change he got aggressive with the smaller one and I got ticked and that's where I put him lol. Then I regretted it and fished him out and put him back in genpop.

Drop a little food in there every now and then and any food that reaches overflow- crab will find it