My Blue-Legged Hermit Crabs $15 meal...

[Super NooB]

The other day I was a one of the LFS in the area and they had some frags for sell. So I purchased some purple shrooms to go with my greens and I also got some Star Polyps. Boy, were they lookin good. Until this morning that is. Before I went to work I noticed the Polyps were not doing so well. It looked as though they had been snacked on. I wasn't sure until this evening, when I saw one my hermits chompin away on it.

I thought these guys were reef safe?

[davetkoch]

Uhhh, well...
Dr. Ron will tell you that no hermit is truly reef safe. In fact, many people use snail-only clean-up crews.

In practice, blue-leggeds are usually ok, but you'll get a few super-evil, polyp-snacking crabs here and there. In that case, I usually banish them to the refugium.

On the other hand, I've never seen a red-legged touch anything but algae.

[Hound]

same here on the red legged and they hardly change...ive had one for over 4 months and never harmed anything or molted

[lacie143]

your coral was probably already dead or beyond help. They are scavangers.