Need Help with Hermit ID

[HumuhumuFan]

A couple years ago I bought a couple frags from a local coral shop and they included 2 free hermit crabs. I should've asked what they were at the time but didn't. Anyways they've gotten pretty big. Both of them now live in old turbo snail shells. I just bought my first Trochus Snails and as soon as I put it in the tank this guy was on him like a Brazilian Jui-Jitsu fighter going for a rear naked choke, just instantly attached to his back. I was kind of surprised because there is a zebra turbo snail of similar size that I rotate between their tank (20g reef) and a frag tank and I've never seen either of them go after them. Anyways, it's got me wondering what kind of hermit this is, and, is it likely to kill my new Trochus? I put him in my internal fuge for now as a timeout.

 

[blaxsun]

Algae eating hermit crab. They can get big - and they're excellent climbers! I have a bunch in my tank and they pretty much ignore (and get ignored by) everything.

 

[HumuhumuFan]

I appreciate the quick reply. I'm just very nervous. I'd hate for my brand new Trochus to be a gourmet hermit crab treat.

 

[IKD]

Thin-striped hermit. Plenty of food and shells should curb aggression to snails.

Thin Striped Hermit (Medium)

Resides : Rocks and sand Consumes : Detritus, Hair Algae, Film Algae, and some species of Cyanobacteria Max Size : 3 or 75mm Origin : Caribbean Availability:...

www.reefcleaners.org

 

[Rick's Reviews]

Yes I have various hermits, if yours are fighting over a snail they are looking for a bigger shell to move into or are hungry, you need to provide extra shells for hermits to move into, these should be alot bigger then you expect.
I got 50 small shells for £5 medium (bat wing) shells for £5 and large shells £5
If you provide alot of shells for them to move into this will tone down aggressive behaviour

 

[Rick's Reviews]

Also 'crab cuisine' pellets and algae wafers are great sources of food, they go nuts when I add
Bigger shells will be the key

 

[HumuhumuFan]

Update: The crabs flipped the trochus over and pawed at it for a second, seemed to realize it was occupied, and moved on.

 

[OrionN]

That is a Clibanarius vittatus, a hermit crab in the Atlantic area, Carribean and the Gulf of Mexico. I got them in abundant from the Gulf. They are doing fine in our reef tank and is a good, mostly algae eater. You can see the tip of their claws are not sharp or pointy.
They do get huge and will need larger shell at they grow. I had one in my reef tank for several year, he came in tiny on the rock and grew to require a shell with opening of about 1.5 inches. He stays on the sand mostly and does not climb on rock in my tank.