What are THESE?! (Suspected Blue Legged Dwarf Hermit Crab larvae)

mwp · #1 07/04/2006, 02:16 AM

OK, so I don't know WHAT is going on...my camera won't take pictures now (after 40,000+ maybe it's finally down for the count?!). Anyway, I noticed feeding in my cardinalfish tank at 1:40 AM or so and of course, I hadn't fed in hours, so hmmm.

Well, I have tons of crustaceans in the tank. They're about 2.5 MM in length. They hang head down and somewhat congregated at the surface once the pumps were off. There are HUNDREDS of them, SEVERAL hundred most likely. It looks like 6 "legs" in total, a long tail, a big head with black oval eyes. Think of something akin to a lobster without claws or long antenna in front. They seem to have 2 swimming modes - general propulsion backwards by the 6 "legs", or quick bursts generated by the tail. Overall general coloration is white.

The ONLY crustaceans in the tank that were purposely added are 4 Dwarf Blue Legged Hermit Crabs - Clibanarius tricolor.

If they are NOT DBLHC larvae, what else might they be? I'm doubting mysis hands down at the moment...to me they look more like the couple of hermit crab larvae I've seen.

With that said, what the heck do I do now?! And WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH MY CAMERA!!!?!?!?!

I've captured maybe 100 larvae, tossed them in the .5 gallon specimen cup and I'm going to add some phyto and L-Strain Rotifers and a slow air feed and leave 'em alone for now - FWIW, one supplemental EDIT, I ended up adding T-Iso, Nannochloropsis and SS Strain rotifers.

MP

mwp · #2 07/04/2006, 02:38 AM

AHA! GOT PICS AND VID...still dont' know what was up with the uncooperative camera...it just decided to start working after taking a few pics. I've had this problem before but usually only in really COLD WEATHER?! HMM.

Anyway, the video is here, quicktime, 2.85 MB - http://www.cichlidrecipe.com/nanoreef/DSCN3229.MOV

Pics to come in a moment.

MP

mwp · #3 07/04/2006, 02:42 AM

Here's some pics!

MP

SueQ · #4 07/04/2006, 09:55 AM

They could very well be blue legged larvae. My blue legs spawned in my 1st tank within a couple weeks of getting them. The larvae were pretty much eaten by my maroon clown.
Not to be a party pooper, but crabs are very difficult to raise in culture. Their lifecycle in nature is dependent on cues that are not well understood. Good luck and keep us posted on how far you can get them to grow!!! I'd love to see them settle out and grow up for you!

David M · #5 07/04/2006, 11:01 PM

Good pics of hermit crab larvae in this shorg thread. It's an oldie but a goodie

http://forum.seahorse.org/index.php?...=babies+galore

mwp · #6 07/05/2006, 12:01 AM

Looking at the pics in there, I'm 99& sure these are indeed larval hermit crabs! So far it looks like they're all still alive.

FWIW,

MP

spawner · #7 07/05/2006, 07:22 AM

Those are hermit crab larvae.

mwp · #8 07/06/2006, 03:10 PM

Well, since I first found them they are STILL around! To the naked eye they look like they've taken on quite a bit of "green" coloration, aka. they're eating the algae! The Rotifer population has PLUMMETTED too, so I guess I'll be adding more of those today! A certain special surprise should be showing up today..

MP

Luis A M · #9 07/06/2006, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mwp

I've captured maybe 100 larvae, tossed them in the .5 gallon specimen cup and I'm going to add some phyto and L-Strain Rotifers and a slow air feed and leave 'em alone for now - FWIW, one supplemental EDIT, I ended up adding T-Iso, Nannochloropsis and SS Strain rotifers.

MP

Feed them bs

mwp · #10 07/06/2006, 04:20 PM

You mean I have to start hatching brine now?

MP

spawner · #11 07/06/2006, 05:35 PM

They will eat NHA from the beginning, they have 5 zoeal stages, one meglopa, they will have to have the right size shell to metamorphsis. Your looking at about 25 days or so.

mwp · #12 07/06/2006, 09:05 PM

But do the NEED NHB? I have all these L-Strain rotifers that I never use! (FWIW, I Selcon Enriched 30 basters worth of L-Strain seived to 53 micron and just fed it to them this evneing)....

Can they be raised up just on rotifers?

23 days or so until I need tiny shells eh? I read somewhere that there's a gravel out there that consists of TINY shells that would be perfect for hermits....

MP

spawner · #13 07/06/2006, 10:44 PM

you can rear them on Rots for about another 10 days or so. you get them that far and I might be persaded to send you some shells.

mwp · #14 07/06/2006, 11:30 PM

So I take it you've done this before? I fully admit I haven't done any searches yet.

FWIW so far I haven't detected any losses and they all look active...most all of their time is spent on the bottom or bouncing off it, only occasionally swimming into the water column. The area where they "bounce" is "picked clean"...no algae, no detritus...

Matt

mako56 · #15 07/07/2006, 04:09 PM

Someone told me that this was a hermit crab larvae too I don't really know myself.

mwp · #16 07/10/2006, 08:24 AM

I don't know Mike and it doesn't look like I'll have any better pics to show this time around. I got back last night to find the specimen cup completely clear with a couple copepods running around and not much else...in other words I think this batch disappeared

MP

spawner · #17 07/10/2006, 08:26 AM

That's brachyuran crab zoea.

mako56 · #18 07/10/2006, 12:24 PM

Thanks spawner but I am just a hick from the midwest and all I get from that is that's and crab.

I will have to check and see if I can figure the rest out. Wish all you smart people on here would just talk plain english.

Luis A M · #19 07/10/2006, 05:34 PM

Brachyuran=crab,plain crab

mwp · #20 07/10/2006, 11:17 PM

Well, this evening I gave the specimen cup a really good once-over...no larvae left after the 2 day absence on my part. So that pretty much does it for those guys...tore down the little larval container and that's all to write for now. I'll come back and get more pics and details posted up next time I notice and capture a hatch (who knows when that will be).

FWIW,

Matt

mwp · #21 10/28/2006, 01:29 AM

Just a quick note - 10-28-06, 1:00 AM, we had another hermit crab hatch...tipped off as the bangaii's were feeding on something in the water column. Didn't do anything this time around as I'm pretty tied up with vertebrate breeding!!!

FWIW,

Matt