Hermit crabs eating zoas?

[Chrisv.]

I have a zoa garden tank with around two dozen strains of zoas, most of which are thriving to the point of needing to be fragged.

This morning I bought two new strains and for some reason the hermits seem to find one of the strains irresistible. It's to the point that I'm sitting in front of the tank pulling hermits out one by one as they climb up to the frag in question.

Have you guys seen this before? I've never seen them bother any other zoas, and the frag in question looks healthy, other than that it keeps closing in response to the hermits.

All other zoas in the tank are open and happy.

 

[Spare time]

Do you actually see them ripping the polyp up and consuming it? I would be surprised if they actually were eating the polyp

 

[Mr Cypher]

I have 2 blue leg hermitcrabs that have been banished to the sump because they ate a colony of GMK in pretty fast order left everything else alone but went straight for it ever time I pulled them off and moved them but the majority I have are just fine with them

 

[Chrisv.]

I have 2 blue leg hermitcrabs that have been banished to the sump because they ate a colony of GMK in pretty fast order left everything else alone but went straight for it ever time I pulled them off and moved them but the majority I have are just fine with them

Wow. These are blue leg hermits and a brand new 6 polyp frag of gmk.

I feel so...validated. hahaha.

 

[Chrisv.]

Do you actually see them ripping the polyp up and consuming it? I would be surprised if they actually were eating the polyp

I didn't wait to find out. The only time I've seen them act this enthusiastic is when eating though. It didn't look like they were going for something else on the frag plug.

 

[Mr Cypher]

Wow. These are blue leg hermits and a brand new 6 polyp frag of gmk.

I feel so...validated. hahaha.

I wish mine was only 6 polyps lol more like 30 have 6 left haha

 

[Chrisv.]

I wish mine was only 6 polyps lol more like 30 have 6 left haha

Hopefully they grow fast.

 

[Mr Cypher]

me 2

 

[Chrisv.]

me 2

Did yours go right for it as soon as you put it the coral in?

 

[Mr Cypher]

Did yours go right for it as soon as you put it the coral in?

took them about a day to find it but once they found it the locked on it, was crazy and just those 2 I probably have 15 blue legs 8 electric blue and 2 Halloween hermits and just those 2 decided to much up my zoas

 

[Chrisv.]

took them about a day to find it but once they found it the locked on it, was crazy and just those 2 I probably have 15 blue legs 8 electric blue and 2 Halloween hermits and just those 2 decided to much up my zoas

I'm struggling to remember how many I have and keep going back to the tank to make sure I pulled them all.