Hermit Crab Shells

[Scallywag]

Just curious, do the hermit crabs in my tank need larger shells to move into at some point? I have seen them change shells but with existing shells in the tank. I guess they are older shells from larger crabs or snails that have died.

I am new to salt and never had anything like this in freshwater.

Also, at some point is it beneficial to add new cleanup crews? I seems like there are less in there from when they were first added.

 

[nvMarco]

Some additional (larger) spares can't hurt. Depends on the growth potential of your hermits. But variety doesn't hurt. And yes.. at a certain point you want to review your current stock and replenish where needed. Most of the crew members just don't reproduce in our tanks.

 

[Scallywag]

Thanks. Yeah, I'm not sure how many were in there to begin with, being I got the tank all setup with inhabitants. My goby has stacked up quite a few empty shells over time.

Any idea how long an entire crew would last, approximately? It seems to be more empty crab shells than snail shells.

 

[nvMarco]

Depends on the inhabitants, but at least 2-3 years for the hermits. Snails vary.. some seem to live forever.

 

[Scallywag]

I don't know if any actually did die off but it definitely has not been 2-3 years. However, this whole system was moved from my neighbors house to mine, as an established setup. Maybe there were casualties during the move. No fish were lost and the shrimp were fine as well.

I only feed the crabs with tiny pellets on occasion, figuring there's enough left over food and other sources for them. Should I be feeding them more often?

 

[nvMarco]

No need to "target" feed them. They should scavenge and clean up.. that's their job after all

 

[Scallywag]

Got ya. Thanks