Staghorn hermit crab

[Sosuke]

Hello everybody! I have a stag horn hermit crab I got off of Liveaquaria and put it in my tank. The hermit crabs shell's hydroids seemed to be opened for the first week or two (like little hairs were protruding out) but the hair seems to have not come out and parts of his shell are light brown. I add marine snow and reefroids once a day and add phytoplankton twice a week my question is are his little hydroids dying and am I feeding the right foods?

 

[flsalty]

The hydrocoral on his back has zooxanthellae just like corals. What they need most is proper lighting. They should be cream or tan so I wouldn't worry if it looks light brown. Phyto Feast would probably make a good supplemental food.

 

[Sosuke]

The hydrocoral on his back has zooxanthellae just like corals. What they need most is proper lighting. They should be cream or tan so I wouldn't worry if it looks light brown. Phyto Feast would probably make a good supplemental food.

Thank you for respondingI have a kessil on the tank so I think that's probably fine and I will buy Phyto Feast and see what happens. Thank you!

 

[alvinhsu]

so on the topic of staghorn hermits. I’ve had one for a few months. I found the shell empty a few days ago, and just tonight I saw the same hermit crab in a new shell. It swapped out of the coral, and into a snail shell. Will the crab ever go back to its old shell?

 

[Sosuke]

so on the topic of staghorn hermits. I’ve had one for a few months. I found the shell empty a few days ago, and just tonight I saw the same hermit crab in a new shell. It swapped out of the coral, and into a snail shell. Will the crab ever go back to its old shell?

I don't see a problem with that as long as the crab stays happy, IMO I don't think it will go back in its old shell because if it changed its shell it probably was getting bigger. I have also read about them abandoning their shells and going to a regular shell

 

[Sirvin]

so on the topic of staghorn hermits. I’ve had one for a few months. I found the shell empty a few days ago, and just tonight I saw the same hermit crab in a new shell. It swapped out of the coral, and into a snail shell. Will the crab ever go back to its old shell?

So years late but, if you want to keep them with the coral shell. You can't have any other shells in the tank at all. they cut away at the coral as they grow to keep it as a home. However they are lazy and will drop it for an easy bigger shell.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

So years late but, if you want to keep them with the coral shell. You can't have any other shells in the tank at all. they cut away at the coral as they grow to keep it as a home. However they are lazy and will drop it for an easy bigger shell.

Do you have firsthand experience with this? Would be nice if it’s true but just haven’t heard this before. I was wondering if you could just frag the bryozoan from the old shell and attach it to the new one and it would grow to cover it?

 

[TobysTank]

Do you have firsthand experience with this? Would be nice if it’s true but just haven’t heard this before. I was wondering if you could just frag the bryozoan from the old shell and attach it to the new one and it would grow to cover it?

Mine did it last week. Ive had the stag maybe two months. The hydroid shell was not looking so hot. I noticed it a few days ago had moved in a week. Picked it up and no crab. Today I found it in a regular shell!