Symbiotic hermit crab/coral relationship?

[Waters]

I have a tiny Red Legged Hermit that refuses to leave my red Digitata. I have 4 times removed him, placed him on the other side of the tank, and within an hour he makes his way back across, to the top of the very porous live rock, to perch back on the Digitata at the very top of the tank. Am I missing something lol? First question, will this harm the coral having him sit on top of one of the branches? Second question, why is he continously drawn back to the coral?

 

[Squishie89]

Has he been doing this since you got him or did this start recently?

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Can we get a pic?

 

[Waters]

He has recently starting doing it....within the last couple of weeks. Both the SPS and the hermit have been in the tank for almost 4 months. I will take a picture when I get home tonight.....I moved him yet again yesterday and he was back on top this morning lol. The amazing part is that he manages to climb and navigate the live rock so quickly. The rock is not dense at all with a ton of holes and branches that look like would be a tough trip back to the top.

 

[Bad Company]

I dunno, occasionally I see all my hermits going to the top of whatever rock they can. In large groups too all at the same time.

 

[Waters]

This crab seems obsessed with it. I want to put him in my sump but I am afraid I will wake up and find him back in the tank on top of the SPS lol.

 

[Waters]

Here are a couple of pics just after turning the lights on.......one of the crab and one showing what he has to go through every time I move him back to the bottom lol.

 

[Mark426]

If he is not causing your monti any problems then I don't see what the problem Is.

 

[Waters]

I don't know if he is causing any problems...that is my question.

 

[mrcoffee2]

I don't know if he is causing any problems...that is my question.

Probably not, but you should continue to move him to the bottom. It will increase the over all health / performance of the crab. Doing this exercise should give him a 20% lead over other crab brothers.

 

[Waters]

Ok, thanks. I didn't know if the crab would bother the coral to the point where it stopped extending its polyps. I am not sure I want to push the extra crab exercises though....I don't want a super crab that will start picking up 10 lb live rock and throwing them at me as I walk by the tank. Like I said, I thought about putting him in my sump but I don't want to anger him :cry:

 

[Eric B]

I have some blue leg and a large scarlet and they crawl all over my sps and it has never seemed to bother the coral or hermit crabs one little bit. They seem to play king of the coral mound and have even seen them go on walkabout on the back of the urchin from time to time, but the urchin will carry off pretty much what ever is not glued down coral included!

 

[ViktorVaughn]

I wouldn't worry about it. I have a large blue leg hermit that does this with my green digi and a Halloween hermit who is also really big that loves hanging out in my birdsnest. No ill effects to either coral.

 

[flowflezy]

I have the same thing crabs lobe my metor shower. I have a picture with 2 on them.

 

[Qube]

Probably not, but you should continue to move him to the bottom. It will increase the over all health / performance of the crab. Doing this exercise should give him a 20% lead over other crab brothers.

Almost spit out my coffee, thanks!

 

[Qube]

To the OP, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Hermits one one of my favorite habitants of my reef for this very reason. Always fun to watch and try and figure out what the heck they're trying to accomplish.

 

[Rasengan]

hermits are indeed fun critters...at one point my hermits would all congregate in one spot every morning when i'd be leaving for work...it was like they were having a meeting every morning to figure out what they were going to do that day...they since stopped doing it so i'm not sure what that event was all about but it went on for at least a month

 

[Waters]

Ok, I will give up and let him have his fun lol. It amazes me that I can put him on the opposite island, on the other side of tank, and he still manages to find his way back to his perch within an hour