Hermit Crab ate my Maxima Clam

[SteedC]

I purchased a small Maxima Clam about 2 months ago and everything was going great, it was growing and had great color. I did my nightly dose of photo-plankton and went to bed. Woke up this morning and the hermit crab was inside the clam eating the remains! Has anyone had this happen before? Looks like I am going to have to get rid of my hermit crab as I would rather have a clam.

 

[WV Reefer]

I purchased a small Maxima Clam about 2 months ago and everything was going great, it was growing and had great color. I did my nightly dose of photo-plankton and went to bed. Woke up this morning and the hermit crab was inside the clam eating the remains! Has anyone had this happen before? Looks like I am going to have to get rid of my hermit crab as I would rather have a clam.

Not impossible but more likely the crab was just doing clean up duty.

 

[mta_morrow]

I don’t think a hermit would kill a healthy clam.

Let’s ask my clam mentor!

@DSC reef

 

[SteedC]

I don’t think a hermit would kill a healthy clam.

Let’s ask my clam mentor!

@DSC reef

The weird thing is we were just looking at it last night commenting on how well it was doing and had even grown since we had put it in the tank. It looked fine just 10 short hours ago..

 

[SteedC]

The weird thing is we were just looking at it last night commenting on how well it was doing and had even grown since we had put it in the tank. It looked fine just 10 short hours ago..

Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated.

 

[WV Reefer]

The weird thing is we were just looking at it last night commenting on how well it was doing and had even grown since we had put it in the tank. It looked fine just 10 short hours ago..

That’s how it happens sometimes. They are fine and then gone.

 

[chowwil]

I had that happen to my derasa clam. The clam was healthy and a hermit crab fell in. I see the hermit crab in the clam, but couldn't get it out. Ended up killing it.

 

[Scotty Buttons]

Im going to agree that something happened to the clam and the hermit just did its job. It's pretty unlikely a hermit would touch a healthy specimen. Sorry about your clam

 

[DSC reef]

What type of hermit crab? If the clam was doing well, had new growth, etc, that raises a red flag. Hermits can be opportunistic feeders but most will clean up dying tissue. Since the clam was doing well and putting on shell growth I'm reluctant to think it just died overnight.

 

[SteedC]

What type of hermit crab? If the clam was doing well, had new growth, etc, that raises a red flag. Hermits can be opportunistic feeders but most will clean up dying tissue. Since the clam was doing well and putting on shell growth I'm reluctant to think it just died overnight.

White leg hermit crab. It was a hitchhiker that came in with some Nassarius snails I had purchased. I wouldn't think the hermit would do it either but it seemed fine last night then the crab was in there this morning. Guess it was something else? I waited for my tank to mature a year to get that clam!

 

[DSC reef]

If it's a white leg then it's considered reef safe but they are omnivorous. Your positive you have nassarius and not mistaken for whelks? Clams can go south fast but normally you see no signs of growth, gaping, etc.

 

[SteedC]

If it's a white leg then it's considered reef safe but they are omnivorous. Your positive you have nassarius and not mistaken for whelks? Clams can go south fast but normally you see no signs of growth, gaping, etc.

I ordered Nassarius snails from Algae Barn and got the hermit with that batch.

 

[WV Reefer]

I ordered Nassarius snails from Algae Barn and got the hermit with that batch.

How large was the clam in question?

 

[SteedC]

How large was the clam in question?

1.5" - 2"

 

[khushtram]

I had the same happen to me 2 nights ago.helathy 4 inch maxima clam and a hermit crab had at it. I noticed the hermit crab was the culprit because it was sitting right in front of the clam shell in the morning moving very slow and lethargic. I’m guessing it was full and had the aires.

 

[WV Reefer]

1.5" - 2"

Most people would always recommend buying a larger size clam because it seems much harder to keep them the smaller they are. Some say smaller clams require more feeding also.

I wouldn’t be too discouraged.

 

[Hermie]

Just wanted to add my recent experience... I house dwarf hermits with a spotted puffer and just recently started feeding them live clams. The second the clams hit the substrate, the hermit crabs literally B-line for them, regardless of the puffer. They will literally go for the clam while the puffer is eating it. So I don't know why but they have an intense disregard for danger when clam is available to eat.

 

[DSC reef]

I don't trust hermits so we don't keep them. Buying small clams from places like Pacific east means they are aquaculture and generally hardier. Larger clams, unless purchased from another hobbyist can be wild collected and can pose other issues. I wouldn't worry about feeding clams at all.

 

[Lovemyreef2015]

I don't trust hermits so we don't keep them. Buying small clams from places like Pacific east means they are aquaculture and generally hardier. Larger clams, unless purchased from another hobbyist can be wild collected and can pose other issues. I wouldn't worry about feeding clams at all.

+1

 

[anit77]

Last year I bought a small, 2", Maxima. Set it on a rock low down to get used to the lights. (30" deep).
The 1st day all was good. Get up and look the 2nd morning and found an empty shell.
I have a few blue & red leg hermits, one of the red is a bit larger. I also have nassarius snails & peppermint & fire shrimp.

About a week later I bought another about the same size from the same LFS but put it in the frag tank this time. It's probably doubled in size, roughly 7 months. The frag is plumbed through a common sump and has peppermints in it too. No nassarius or hermits.