Black with white tips hermit crab

[KyleC]

Hi,

Ordered some bumblebee snails and low and behold, one is a little hermit crab!

It's black with white tipped feet and claws - can anyone ID it or advise if it's reef safe please?

Thanks

 

[fishywishy]

I don’t remember what they’re called but they are reef safe. Might kill some snails though.

 

[KyleC]

Thanks. After some digging I've settled on a "Bumblebee Hermit". Apparently good for nano tanks as they stay small.

 

[papercrab]

They can be mistaken for a larger type as documentation of hermi species is relativley rare. You can buy some assorted "algae eaters" and you could get 6 diffrent species. I got one that looks exacltly like the one above. Its grown quite big (about and inch) but is still reef safe and is suprissingly friendly to people.

 

[KyleC]

They can be mistaken for a larger type as documentation of hermi species is relativley rare. You can buy some assorted "algae eaters" and you could get 6 diffrent species. I got one that looks exacltly like the one above. Its grown quite big (about and inch) but is still reef safe and is suprissingly friendly to people.

So long as mine is reef safe that's what matters. All the size of the wee dude in my tank, he may as well be in the sea :D now just need to get some shells as all my others are too large. Thanks for the comment!

 

[Reinboordt]

I have one exactly like yours. Black with white tips to the claws. He was sold as a “bumblebee hermit crab”. this must be what the vendors are ordering them in as. Obviously because they have a bumblebee snail shell but as for the species I’m unsure. My one has grown quite a lot in just a few weeks. They have not shown any interest in corals or fish, not even any interest in my snails which is why I provided extra shells.

I collected/purchased some various loose shells in both the Philippines and Wales over the last few years in anticipation of setting up my tank.

Lo and behold one of the vacant conch shells has been claimed by the hermit. He’s no longer a bumblebee.

 

[KyleC]

He's now a conch hermit haa that's a big shell, he's doing well to carry it! Looks the same as mine - thanks :)