caring for hermits

[tara_karan]

I love hermit crabs and am so bummed because my scarlets are starving now (and dying off one by one) as all the algae is eaten and I don't know what to feed them. I bought them formula 2 but the rest of my clean up crew and fish ate it I think too fast.
Any advice appreciated

[sir_dudeguy]

they'll eat anything that gets to the bottom...not just algae...in fact, mine never eat algae at all lol..wish they did...not generally suggested, but maybe feed them a LITTLE bit more?

[pooh1989]

I feed mine a few like 2 or 3 sinking shrip pellets a day. They make good work of them and the other fish don't bother the sinking ones.

[akrimmel]

i use the sinking algae discs for the FW plecos, only the crabs eat it and one disc will feed my whole crew of 15-20 herm dogs.

[riemannp]

Well, I have experienced exactly the same thing recently. I also saw one poor bugger kick bucket every 2-3 days (I bought 24 in mid June and I have about 10 now!!!!). Expensive learning curve.

I seem to be a slow learner, but I nonetheless have responded in two ways, both of which helped the little buggers:

1. I sink a veggie depth charge on a fishing line every 3 days or so, and leave it there for 12-24 hours. They have these veggie clips specially designed for feeding picky fish such as butterflies. The veggie clip clamps down on a wrap-around piece of grid plastic, with your meal offering squished in the middle. I tied on a fishing weight (lead) to the assembly to sink it. I place a piece of dried seaweed or brocolli , wrap the grid plastic around it, clamp it with the veggie clip and drop it somewhere where I think a hermit crab might like. The fish don't seem to mess with it, but mycleaner shrimps and emerald crabs love to shred it apart. But I do see hermits feed from it.

2. I've been skimming less, which indeed allowed algae to kick back in.

I'd be interested in any other ideas you learn. Thanks for posting ... I was meaning to place the exact same posting.

[michaeldaly]

I have never fed my hermits anything, but I do tend to feed my fish quite heavily so there are always leftoves that make their way to the hermits

[a4twenty]

are you providing them with new homes? as hermits grow they require new shells. mine live off what falls to the bottom, but as said above any type of sinking pellet or food will go directly to their dinner table. i use the FW sinking disc for my algae blenny and the crabs are usually right there cleaning up what's left.

[akrimmel]

seems to be common with the discs then, i thought i was just being crazy with doing this but guess not guys. huh.

[tara_karan]

Thanks so much. Great advice. What is an algae depth charge? Sorry but have not heard of that one. A little leery of putting lead fishing weights in my tank, but might try the broccoli stuff. I have emerald crabs which I just love too.
I will buy those pleco disks. I have plenty of extra homes for them but one changed shells and then died. Another one has a huge coral like rock for a home and can barely move and is not interested in the empty shells! Frustrating.

[akrimmel]

What is an algae depth charge

think they were refering to the same thing i was, the algae discs sink like a depth charge would. dont know why he was using lead weights as i myself would be worried about one getting loose from the line and getting buried somewhere in the tank. the name i use for my hermit food i get from petsmart is as follows:
HIKARI TROPICAL---ALGAE WAFERS

[Sk8r]

Mine like Formula One sinking pellets, or a piece of table shrimp, or anything they can get their little claws on. I even have one big old fellow with an occasion fondness for bubble algae.

If you're losing them, and they have adequate spare shells, your tank may be too clean, or there may be some other cause. What are your params.

[tara_karan]

All the params are normal except low calcium at 360. All othe rlivestock okay. I just feel sad they keep dying.
The tank is VERY clean

[sir_dudeguy]

I have never fed my hermits anything, but I do tend to feed my fish quite heavily so there are always leftoves that make their way to the hermits

thats exactly what i do

[akrimmel]

either feed the herm dogs or couple days a week slightly overfeed the tank a few days a week

[Marti]

I feed mine Seaweed select green algae. It comes in sheet's, just tear a bit off, rubberband it to a rock, and drop it in. A clip is good too. They come running!

[iamquockie]

are you sure they are dieing? I had about 30 in my smaller tank and I thought one was dieing every week. Turns out that it was just molting, and the molt looked exactly like a dead hermit!!!!!! legs, eyes and everything. :shrugs:

[akrimmel]

same with cleaner shrimps, looks like they died after molting and they hide for a few days until their shell is hard again.

[akrimmel]

cant honestly say that any of my blue hermits have molted before in the 2yrs i have had them, unless it gets eaten overnite?

[riemannp]

Well, the "algae depth charge" is my own custom term, for my own idea of dropping a weighted-down wrapped-up bunch of algae-sheet or brocolli ... all attached to a fishing line so I can pull out whilst hands stay dry!. Ohhh, and my wife is so impressed with such genius (I can see her rolling her eyes now)! I can appreciate the worry about lead fishing weight, and even though I doubt much concern, I'll probably migrate to rubber-banding to a rock or shell to do same thing.

I would appreciate a link to these algae discs you refer to. I am interested.

[UGA XI]

You could also try usinG the alGae sheets they sell at most LFS. That's what I typically use when the alGae dies down.

[akrimmel]

will look for it thrn post.

[akrimmel]

http://www.petsmart.com/global/produ...N=2030063&Ne=2

although these are for FW fish they work awsome for hermits. i have been using these for 2 years with no problems.