micro hermits?

[JoJosReef]

I found this little guy at night in my tank. It is only the size of a dwarf cerith. I recently added dwarf ceriths from ReefCleaners, but I find it difficult to believe that a hermit snuck in there!

I know I had timy hermits that came in on my gulf live rock in January. I'm just curious if there are any hermits that stay small like that akin to micro brittles. @LiverockRocks do you know if there are hermits that stay very smalll in your rocks?

Cute little guy!

Video linked:

Shared album from Joseph 📸

Tap to view!

photos.app.goo.gl

 

[damsels are not mean]

If the shell is a dwarf cerith shell it's quite possible you got an extra from reefcleaners. Those dwarf ceriths basically sell by the handful they're so small.

 

[JoJosReef]

If the shell is a dwarf cerith shell it's quite possible you got an extra from reefcleaners. Those dwarf ceriths basically sell by the handful they're so small.

You think they would have small hermits mixed in with the dwarf ceriths?

 

[damsels are not mean]

You think they would have small hermits mixed in with the dwarf ceriths?

I think you shouldn't rule out the possibility although I've ordered from them multiple times and never had anything like this happen

 

[LiverockRocks Verified Sponsor]

Sorry can’t pull up video atm.
We don’t see tiny hermits on the rock.

 

[AKG]

I read this and got really excited that maybe OP had found one of these!!!!!

Nope

 

[JoJosReef]

I read this and got really excited that maybe OP had found one of these!!!!!

Nope

Nope, but I voted for the POTM that had one of these coming out of coral!

 

[afrokobe]

I've gotten micro hermits from IPSF. They are usually half in or smaller, super small compared to the normal hermits yo use.

 

[AKG]

Nope, but I voted for the POTM that had one of these coming out of coral!

They had it in POTM? When was that? This photo was taken in Solomon Islands.

 

[Tired]

I've found a couple of tiny hermits in my ReefCleaners dwarf cerith orders. They're just so darned small, and checking all the shells to make sure it's really a snail inside would take far too long, since they give you a few dozen of the little guys. I also got a couple peanut worms in that batch.
(I didn't mind. They sent me way more snails than I ordered, so I got extra snails <i>and</i> some cool little critters.)

I've gotten micro hermits from IPSF. They are usually half in or smaller, super small compared to the normal hermits yo use.

Aren't those just juvenile left-handed hermits?

 

[afrokobe]

Here is an old picture, quarter of an algae wafer next to him

 

[afrokobe]

juvenile left-handed hermits

I honestly don't know. I know the description on their site says dwarf/micro hermits, so i just went with that

 

[JoJosReef]

Are left handed hermits reef/invert safe? Presumably they grow larger and kill more dwarf ceriths and then normal ceriths for shells, right?

 

[Tired]

Hermits can generally be deterred from killing for shells by giving them a bunch of empty shells to move into. You probably had some empties in your cerith order- that's part of why they send a bunch.