Do hermit crabs eat zoas?

[coralgazer]

I have a new reef tank cookin, up 9 months and well cycled. Parameters are perfect. I have mushroom corals, ricordeas, a large hammer coral, 2 feather dusters, all absolutely flourishing.

I want to grow a bunch of zoas. I ordered a frag with 10 polyps. I could see 10 little polyps. By day 7 it was down to about 7. Within 5 days everything was gone! disappeared! Nothing left but bare rock. Since my water parameters are so awesome, what could've happened?

I do have several hermit crabs, which were seen in the vicinity of the new frag rock. Could they have eaten these off the rock? The company has offered to replace them, but I need to know how to protect them so they can spread a little bit, and hopefully not disappear. Any suggestions welcome

 

[Otter_rs]

What kind of fish do you have if any, any shrimp, what kind of crabs?


Brent \><{{{{*>
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[Peppster3090]

Do hermits eat zoas?

Typically hermits wont bother zoanthids unless they are a.) Large hairy hermits or b.) the zoanthids were starting to melt away and the hermits helped clean up.

I would look for another culprit, or if it happens again, remove the hermits!

 

[mnat]

The zoas might of just flat out melted on you, they can do that regardless of your params.

 

[GratefulReef]

Not to sound rude, but what exactly does awesome mean for your params?

 

[fragmatic]

Sadly it is not unusual for coral to be on the sick bed before you purchase them. The LFS may of treated the tank with something, or whatever, and you never had a chance. Like said, those polyps may of melted and the hermits did their job. However I did have a zebra hermit that got his butt put in jail (one of my refugiums) because I caught him ripping chunks off a sponge I was fond of. He had done to much damage and the sponge did not make it, and it was NOT melting. He remains in jail and is not allowed near my coral.

 

[coralgazer]

Not to sound rude, but what exactly does awesome mean for your params?

RODI water + Instant Ocean
T= 79F
SG= 1.024
pH=8.2
Ammonia= 0
Nitrates= 0
Nitrites= 0
Alkalinity= 11 dKh
Calcium= 460
Magnesium= 1320
Phosphates= 0

36 gallon bowfront with 15 gallon sump; Coralife lamp: (2) HO T5 10,000K + (2) Actinic Blue HO75; Total 124 watts; (2) Koralia 550 wavemakers; Bubble Magus NAC 3.5 skimmer, filter sock, PhosBan and activ carbon bags in sump

Livestock:
CUC turbo snails and hermit crabs
2 large feather dusters
1 large hammer coral
1 very large rock with green mushrooms
3 Florida ricordeas
1 firefish, 1 royal gramma, 2 clownfish

 

[Otter_rs]

Still didn't state what kind of hermit crabs that you have, but I would most likely chalk this up as shipping stress.


Brent \><{{{{*>
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[Soehl]

Sadly it is not unusual for coral to be on the sick bed before you purchase them. The LFS may of treated the tank with something, or whatever, and you never had a chance. Like said, those polyps may of melted and the hermits did their job. However I did have a zebra hermit that got his butt put in jail (one of my refugiums) because I caught him ripping chunks off a sponge I was fond of. He had done to much damage and the sponge did not make it, and it was NOT melting. He remains in jail and is not allowed near my coral.

I have had the same problem... I am wondering it the zebra hermits are the culprits.

 

[coralgazer]

Still didn't state what kind of hermit crabs that you have, but I would most likely chalk this up as shipping stress.


Brent \><{{{{*>
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blue legged hermits and turbo snails, no shrimp

 

[coralgazer]

do you dip zoa frags also? i dipped these before putting in the tank. Could that have killed them? I used Coral Rx for 5 minutes.

 

[Rockadile]

what kind of Zoas? Some of them and for me it is the deepwater type just melt with no reason. I am sure most of us have had at happen from time to time and may even struggle on particular kinds.

 

[Swine]

I had a emerald crab stick its claw out randomly and grab onto a pink passion, would those only eat them if they were dying?

Dont want to hijack but probably.not worth starting another thread

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[GratefulReef]

Water seems good, I usually run my sg around .026 but I doubt thats the culprit here. I agree with the shipping stress or something the LFS treated, or just the anomoly of zoas lol sometimes they melt for no reason at all.

 

[Night Reefer]

Nothing like resurrecting an old thread. I have found many times my hermit crabs nibbling on my zoas. The crab ripped one of the polyps a week ago and now the whole colony is black where it use to be red. I assume it is dying. What to do being I need the clean up crew?????

 

[novanosis]

Maybe feed the crabs more.

 

[tankstudy]

Nothing like resurrecting an old thread. I have found many times my hermit crabs nibbling on my zoas. The crab ripped one of the polyps a week ago and now the whole colony is black where it use to be red. I assume it is dying. What to do being I need the clean up crew?????

I do a variety of snails. Dwarf ceriths, florida ceriths, turbos and margaritas.

 

[Chukthunder]

Pict?

 

[Night Reefer]

 

[Chukthunder]

I've seen hermits harvesting algae off my zoa and paly plugs, irritating them to close. Is there any chance the hermits are going after weak or dying polyps?