Hermit crab covered in coral

[Jace Alan Carver]

What is this coral that's on my hermit crab? It seems so be a solid mat with thousands of polyps. He is a wild hermit crab from Tampa bay

 

[Donald Gilliss]

wow... not sure but would love to know myself

 

[BestMomEver]

That’s soooo cool! I have no idea...

 

[ReefSlice]

Hydroids. I had a few just like this that I collected wild in NY and some with longer hydroids in FL. They died off the shell after a few months.

 

[Jace Alan Carver]

Are these guys good or bad?

 

[ReefSlice]

I never noticed them growing anywhere but the shell so they weren't necessarily bad, but some hydroids spread like wildfire and sting corals and fish.

 

[wattson]

usually hydriods are a bad thing..

 

[Jace Alan Carver]

That's what I thought but they seem to not leave the shell