Staghorn Hermit Crab (Manucomplanus varians)

[NateB]

This little guy looks pretty cool. http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...fm?pCatId=1146

Anyone have experience with one?

[Andrew]

For $24 i think ill pass. They look weird.

[Lgevoglanyan]

Hey how you doin'? I was unable to load that page but $24 is alot for a crab. If you have a reef tank I would personaly not purchase any crabs except for scarlet hermits and maybe MAYBE an arrow crab. Crabs just seem to cause small problems here and there that you just dont want. Extra headache, but then again im not an expert. I would just suggest you do as much research as you can before you purchase anything.

[greenbean36191]

http://archive.reefcentral.com/forum...orn+AND+hermit

[Julio]

i have seen these once in person and they are really interesting but the price tag turned me away, the coral really is alive in most cases (the shell) and have theri polyps extended.

[NateB]

OK, this from Drs. Foster & Smith:

Staghorn Hermit Crab
(Manucomplanus varians)

Quick Stats:
Care Level: Easy
Tank Conditions: 72-78°F; sg 1.023-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12
Max. Size In Aquarium: Up to 2"
Temperament: Peaceful
Reef Compatible: Yes
Diet: Herbivore
Origin: Indo-Pacific
Family: Paguridae



The Staghorn Hermit Crab, sometimes called the Antler Hermit, or Coralhouse Hermit Crab is an unusual crab well suited for the reef aquarium. This unique hermit crab will be a conversation piece due to its unusual shell in which it resides. These hermits are found along the reef faces and coral rubble zones throughout the Indo-Pacific. They scavenge animal matter and algae.

The Staghorn Hermit Crab lives in a branching shell that is covered with hydroids and bryozoans. The shell has multiple branches that resemble the branching SPS coral Acropora. Staghorn hermits are best kept in a reef-style aquarium where they will have ample supplies of algae to eat. They are helpful in keeping algae under control, including filamentous algae and Cyanobacteria.


Are the doctors out to lunch here, or is Anthony talking about a different beast in his posting referenced above (http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/s...horn+AND+hermit)

-Nate

[Anthony Calfo]

the living hydrozoan shell of this hermit is very difficult for most aquarists to keep alive. I don't agree at all with this sales description FWIW

kindly, Anthony

[NateB]

Thanks Anthony. As cool as it looks, I won't be getting it. I'm also going to ping F&S and politely suggest that they double-check their research.

-Nate

[rich99rich]

I bought one of these for about the same price. They are really neat to look at and do a really fine job at keeping the sand clean. But the problem is that they will abandon their cool shells and move into regular shells. So what happened was that my $25 crab turned into a $2 crab in a few days. If you get one, you might want to get all of your empty shells out!

[Anthony Calfo]

few people keep the living cnidarian shell alive for 6-12 months... let alone years. Its a sad sacrifice.

[Julio]

they sure are gorgeous though.

[DFS]

Good day,
As Anthony has stated there is more to the care of the Staghorn Hermit than just the simple care for the crab itself. I have revised our description of this species in order to try and help educate hobbyists on the proper care and husbandry of this fascinating animal.

Care Level: Difficult
Tank Conditions: 72-78°F; sg 1.023-1.025; pH 8.1-8.4; dKH 8-12
Max. Size In Aquarium: Up to 2"
Temperament: Peaceful
Reef Compatible: With Caution
Diet: Herbivore
Origin: Indo-Pacific
Family: Paguridae

The Staghorn Hermit Crab, sometimes called the Antler Hermit, or Coralhouse Hermit Crab is an unusual crab that requires specialized care by the more advanced hobbyist, and is well suited for the biotope or DSB (deep sand bed) refugium. These hermits are found along the reef faces and coral rubble zones throughout the Indo-Pacific. They scavenge animal matter and algae.
The Staghorn Hermit Crab lives in a branching shell that is covered with hydroids and bryozoans. The crab itself is a hardy companion for the aquarium, but the shell that it resides in requires specialized care. This shell has multiple branches that resemble the branching SPS coral Acropora. Because of its shell, this crab may not be able to right itself if it were to fall on its back, and will be stung and damaged by corals and anemones in the reef aquarium.
Staghorn hermits are best kept in a biotope system with other filter feeding invertebrates, or in a refugium where the hydroids and bryozoans on its shell can be fed properly with types of live or prepared plankton foods. The biotope system or refugium is an ideal location due to the fact the shell must not come in contact with stinging corals and anemones. The crab itself will graze on algae, and if there is an insufficient supply to eat, supplement the diet with offerings of dried seaweed.

Happy Reefing!

Sincerely,
Kevin Kohen
Director of LiveAquaria
Drs. Foster & Smith

[Anthony Calfo]

wow! now that is an outstanding merchant! Sees an issue, investigates it... comes to a consensus, and makes the necessary change.

Kudos to you (Kevin)/DrsF&S! Truly so... fabulous to see progressive business Good for the hobby and all.

thank you, and best of luck and life

Anthony

[Steven Pro]

Wow! That is great. Far too many other merchants would have dug in their heels and become defensive. Kudos to you!

[Jeremy Blaze]

I too, am very impressed by Mr. Kevin Kohen, of DFS coming to the board to address this, agree with others and change their website info.

We need more vendors like this!

[NateB]

And I am very excited that my newbie questions have made the world a slightly safer place for these lovely corals.

Thanks all, especially Anthony Calfo and Kevin Kohen, for taking the time to respond to my question.

This type of thing really doesn't happen very often - in any industry.

Thanks,

Nate

[Anthony Calfo]

it does in the aquarium industry... Largely run by dedicated aquarium nerds... er, I mean... hobbyists

We are all an empathetic sort by nature

[PaulB]

Kevin Kohen, of DFS

Is it my understanding that the shell is not an actual coral ??? If not, what is it?? And is there a light requirement such as with staghorn/SPS in general ???

[technoshaman]

Just to add a little something from personal experience. A few years ago I kept one of these in a tank with a couple of bluespot jawfish since it was one of the few critters I could find collected from the Sea of Cortez like the bluespot. The one I had eventually abandoned his nifty shell and took an old snail shell instead but not before getting stuck a few times on a couple pieces of branch rock I had in the tank - the wavy - pointy hydrozoan colony shell is easy for these crabs to get stuck. After he abandoned the original colonial shell I placed it in my big reef where it died after about 4 months (the shell not the crab).

Kudos to DFS for the conscientious update.

[Anthony Calfo]

the "shell" of this crab is not a stony coral... but it is a cnidarian animal. A hydrozoan to be a little more specific.

Hmmm... in other words, much as anemones, Zoanthids, Acroporids, jellyfish and Millepora are all Cnidarians... but only one of them is a (Scleractinian) stony coral (the Acro, of course).

kindly, Anthony

[technoshaman]

Originally posted by Anthony Calfo
the "shell" of this crab is not a stony coral... but it is a cnidarian animal. A hydrozoan to be a little more specific.

Hmmm... in other words, much as anemones, Zoanthids, Acroporids, jellyfish and Millepora are all Cnidarians... but only one of them is a (Scleractinian) stony coral (the Acro, of course).

kindly, Anthony

Anthony, the shell definitely had a solid structure though - what do these hydrozoans secrete to make the rigid structure? I am assuming these critters are non photosynthetic?

[Anthony Calfo]

calcareous mate....

Some hydrozoans are calcareous (Millepora Fire coral)... some are not (Myrionema... brown pom-pom hydroids).

super fine filter feeders... and not likely to find much if any suitable particle/prey sizes in our essentially plankton-less aquariums.

[dragon79]

I have a staghorn myself, but it's shell didn't last long. Little by little it started getting brown, and then, it straight up died. It was cool to see it's feeders extend, but now it's just a brown shell. Should I just discard it or leave it? Of course my hermit left for a regular abandoned shell in my 6 gallon nanocube. Wish there was a way to really extend it's life, I thought it lived off light, and lack of light would just kill it, but I guess that's not the case.