whats your favourite hermit and why?

ZooZ · #1 08/09/2007, 01:00 AM

I like collecting different types of hermit crabs because of their looks, keeping tank clean and their personality.
Scarlet hermit crab very good sand sifter

Halloween hermit crab..looks cool

Electric Blue hermit crab also looks cool

Snowboarda42 · #2 08/09/2007, 01:08 AM

Holy crap is that Halloween Hermit in a Conch Shell?

Scissorhand · #3 08/09/2007, 01:26 AM

My favorite is the scarlet. Can't argue with the color.

Electric Blue is awesome, but I've had a bad experience with one that's completely psycho and would try to kill/eat all other hermit crabs within site. No joke, the guy would race over to any crab and try to pry the poor guy from his shell.

Snowboarda42 · #4 08/09/2007, 01:45 AM

For this thread purpose, I really like the Dwarf Zebra Hermits. They stay small and move all over the place.

Not my pic

Dyepes · #5 08/09/2007, 01:52 AM

My personal favorite is the Hawaiian Zebra Hermit

He is a very nice guy, bit I see them often get picked on by the blues. I have scarlett, blues, hawaiin zebras, and some native hermit crabs from the Tampa bay area in my tank.

SethSPST · #6 08/09/2007, 02:57 AM

The Halloween is in a Cone snail shell.

uscharalph · #7 08/09/2007, 06:54 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Dyepes
My personal favorite is the Hawaiian Zebra Hermit

He is a very nice guy, bit I see them often get picked on by the blues. I have scarlett, blues, hawaiin zebras, and some native hermit crabs from the Tampa bay area in my tank.

WOW!!! $34.99 for a hermit crab?

purplereef · #8 08/09/2007, 07:04 AM

That would be 34.99$ for 25 of them.

ZooZ · #9 08/09/2007, 11:32 AM

Ive heard that the zebra hermits are very aggressive. Is it true for those who have them? I might get some if there are not.

ionredline0260 · #10 08/09/2007, 11:39 AM

All of my hermits came from a "reef hermit" tank so none of them are sold by a certain species but I have a large yellow tip hermit that I've gone as far as giving a name because he's so big. model citizen really, does a great job of eating left over food after I feed the tank.

Snowboarda42 · #11 08/09/2007, 11:44 AM

There's a fish store in Spokane, WA that's selling a hermit crab thats, I kid you not, about 1/2 the size of my fist. She's named it "Big Nasty" lol. I'd love to have that in a FOWLR tank. Its all hairy too.

b.branscombe · #12 08/09/2007, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Snowboarda42
There's a fish store in Spokane, WA that's selling a hermit crab thats, I kid you not, about 1/2 the size of my fist. She's named it "Big Nasty" lol. I'd love to have that in a FOWLR tank. Its all hairy too.

Yeah, the big ones get really mean. Definitely not safe around passive fish. Some can get to be the size of a tennis ball.

InLimbo87 · #13 08/09/2007, 01:33 PM

I personally like the scarlets, least aggressive hermits i've ever dealt with, and awesome coloration.

oct2274 · #14 08/09/2007, 01:43 PM

my favorite hermits are dead hermits or ones that live in the sea lol. they love to kill snails for shells or for food and i personally feel that snails are a much better cleanup crew even though obviously they are less entertaining. Snails tend to bother corals less than hermits as well. Hermits love to walk on corals. If i had to have hermits it would definitely be the scarlets as they are the least aggressive

RichConley · #15 08/09/2007, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by oct2274
my favorite hermits are dead hermits or ones that live in the sea lol. they love to kill snails for shells or for food and i personally feel that snails are a much better cleanup crew even though obviously they are less entertaining. Snails tend to bother corals less than hermits as well. Hermits love to walk on corals. If i had to have hermits it would definitely be the scarlets as they are the least aggressive

\

They only kill your snails if they have no food. Stop starving your tank/

dcombs44 · #16 08/09/2007, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RichConley
\

They only kill your snails if they have no food. Stop starving your tank/

I might add that they may kill a snail for a bigger shell if one is not available. I actually had a big one take out a queen conche not too long ago. and I'm an overfeeder

oct2274 · #17 08/09/2007, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by RichConley
\

They only kill your snails if they have no food. Stop starving your tank/

That is not true, they kill them just for fun sometimes and they also kill them to take their shells, even if you put extra shells in for them to use! My tank is far from started lol. I have some of the fattest fish you ever saw! My clowns look like blimps most the time lol. Thanks for making me laugh rich

I still love you!

ZLTFUL · #18 08/09/2007, 02:37 PM

I've got roughly 15 hermits...Zebras, Electric Blues, Crimsons, Red and Blue Leggeds....The only snail I saw them kill was a Mexican Turbo that was on it's way out anyway and they stripped it out of it's shell in no time.
For the most part though, my Hermits leave well enough alone.

The best part for me is when I feed the tank and they go into a feeding frenzy. One Zebra will be happily grazing near the top of the tank but as soon as the food hits the water, it will run as fast as it can right off the edge of the rock and drop to the bottom of the tank.
They remind me of Lemmings hehe.

RichConley · #19 08/09/2007, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by oct2274
That is not true, they kill them just for fun sometimes and they also kill them to take their shells, even if you put extra shells in for them to use! My tank is far from started lol. I have some of the fattest fish you ever saw! My clowns look like blimps most the time lol. Thanks for making me laugh rich I still love you!

I've never seen a hermit kill a snail for fun (not that I can claim to know why theyre doing things.. maybe you can?)

I never lose snails to hermits. I keep plenty of shells around and feed heavy.

Then again, I never have any problems with emerald crabs, or my angels eating corals. I blame it all on overfeeding.

ZooZ · #20 08/09/2007, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Snowboarda42
There's a fish store in Spokane, WA that's selling a hermit crab thats, I kid you not, about 1/2 the size of my fist. She's named it "Big Nasty" lol. I'd love to have that in a FOWLR tank. Its all hairy too.

That hermit might have to be this i guess. Seen them in my LFS...look really interesting and while i was watching it for about 3 mins i seen it kill and tear apart a huge snail http://liveaquaria.com/product/prod_...pcatid=624&N=0

Frick-n-Frags · #21 08/09/2007, 03:09 PM

scarlet wins by default since I despise all the other ones.

Eric55 · #22 08/09/2007, 04:59 PM

I find that my Electric Blue is very aggressive, even towards big Mexican Turbo snails. I had to take him out of my display tank and put him in the refugium.

ACBlinky · #23 08/09/2007, 06:18 PM

I love electric blues. They're gorgeous, get HUGE, but stay very gentle and don't bother corals at all IME.

This was my EB before I sold him on to someone who needed a BIG hermit to do some serious cleaning

BrassMonkey · #24 08/09/2007, 06:20 PM

seen one much larger then tennis ball. the darn thing lived in a large queen conch shell. was huge. and red. lfs said someone gave it to em. HUGE!!!

ACBlinky · #25 08/09/2007, 06:30 PM

That might have been a 'strawberry' hermit - big, hairy, NASTY hermits. My LFS has put them into predator tanks as the clean-up crew but specifically said NEVER to put them in a reef as they'll eat anything they can get their evil little claws on