Hermit crabs are resilient invertebrates. They are great scavengers that specialise in feeding on detritus and left over food in the tank.
Hermit crabs are very active and can be seen working through the tank day and night. They are great at clearing detritus from within the natural crevices in live rock and will also root around in the surface of the sand looking for things to eat.
Hermit crabs are pretty much self-sufficient.
The number of hermit crabs you keep in your tank will be determined by how large your tank is. Hermits are fairly solitary invertebrates and do tend to ‘argue’ with other hermits, killing smaller counterparts at times. This may have something to do with shell envy because they are certainly not territorial. Typically a 4ft tank can accommodate up to 10 hermit crabs.
One tip to keeping any hermit crab, is to provide larger shells for them to ‘move house’ to when they outgrow their current shell. This should also keep the peace between the crabs as they are less likely to fight one another for their shell or resort to killing any snails you may have in your tank to hijack theirs.
Salinity: 1.023 – 1.025
pH: 8.1 – 8.4
Two of the most common hermit crabs you will more than likely come across are: