Opportunistic halloween hermit crab

ying yang

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I know hermits or any crabs can be opportunistic.
For 5 months 0 deaths of anything but first morning i notice hermit shell with no crab in it but think halloween could eaten it or it just changed shells or died so give it benefit of doubt.
Few days later i notice halloween hermit on back of tuxedo urchin just dangling ( 1st/2nd pics) so think urchins again just picking crabs up but then halloween crab turns itself around and starts eating urchin.
And about 1 hour ago notice urchin with halloween crab next to it 2 times see halloweens claws grab tentacle or spine from urchin so push crab from urchin and think i will get some frozen marine mix and feed the halloween with coral feeder like i do 1-2 times per day since buy it but then nassarious snails come alive from sand bed and 2 of them go towards crabby and try take some food so naughty crabby flips one of them over and starts eating the snail (3rd pic) so knock snail out of crabs grasp and crab darts over to snail so knock crab away then i look snail and now it attached to the urchin ha ha.(4th pic)
So spent 10 minutes moving all small rocks around in my sump so halloween hermit can climb up and down and have access to 5 out of my 7 chambers then think this not good idea as ato in last chamber.
So decided can stay in middle chamber where skimmer is.

But my question is has anyone experienced a halloween climb up any power coords in sump and come out the water for little bit ?
As i read they can stay out water a bit aslong as their gills are damp and wouldnt want it to climb up power coord of skimmer and along top ledge/brace in my sump then down power coord to my ato and before i know it all the water in my ato drum pumped into sump and everything in tank is dead because salinity so low lol all because a £4.50 hermit pffft
So know need decide if hermit will stay in sump and buy some cheap white light so hermit has a night and a day or just give back to lfs.
Tia for any replys^_^

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The Lumpster

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I can't say that mine has ever done anything like that. That being said, I don't have an urchin or nassarius snails at the moment. I have caught mine eating a snail or 2. Both of them were pretty small banded Trochus. I now target feed him frozen Mysis twice a week and he hasn't touched a snail since. I have had mine for over 2 years now and it is amazing how much he has grown. Make sure you have a couple of big empty shells in there for him to choose from. I was surprised when I put in a couple of, what I thought were oversized shells for him to choose from. He went for the biggest one I put in there and hasn't left it since. Mine looks roughly the same size as yours in the photos.
Mine can also be opportunistic. If there is a dead fish somewhere in the tank, he will find it and devour it in no time.
 
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ying yang

ying yang

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Yeah about the spare shells.my lfs said they would get some in few days after i bought it but been ringing every day and they saying same thing that they finding it hard to get empty shells.
And since posted this i thought i not seen my 2 conch snails 2 and 3 inch.but just found one half buried in sand which is unlike them to be buried this early as lights only went off over hour ago but cant see the bigger 3 inch conch nowhere so hopefully crabby not killed him but the halloween still in same clean shell i got him in which is about 2 inch big
 

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Crabs, never trust them! Hermits are notorious for killing other crabs and snails for shells. Even with extra shells it will most likely continue. Urchin IDK. Crabs do crazy things. My cleanup crew is all snails...
 

The Lumpster

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I got my empty cone shells from reefcleaners.org. I'm not sure that will do you much good in the UK. I think you are on the right track trying to find him a new shell or 2 for him to choose from. Like RedReefer said...crabs do crazy things.

 
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ying yang

ying yang

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Crabs, never trust them! Hermits are notorious for killing other crabs and snails for shells. Even with extra shells it will most likely continue. Urchin IDK. Crabs do crazy things. My cleanup crew is all snails...
Yeah i read this alot but also like the lumpster said above he had his over 2 years so as my 3 red legged scarlet and 11 mini hermits was no trouble i thought i give this big 2 inch bruiser of a crab a try with idea of going back to lfs if gives slighest bit of trouble.
So even if i said he has 3 chances ,he used them 3 chances all up in space of 40 seconds with urchin and snail x 2 lol.
Now its nearly bed time and looks like he trying pull the silicone away in sump with his claws,so im hoping he trying pick some kind of food off and i dont wake up to living room full of water as he eaten through the silicone ha ha .im even thinking make a jail out off eggcrate and zip ties for the brute ^_^
 
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ying yang

ying yang

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I got my empty cone shells from reefcleaners.org. I'm not sure that will do you much good in the UK. I think you are on the right track trying to find him a new shell or 2 for him to choose from. Like RedReefer said...crabs do crazy things.

Yeah wouldn't order shells from usa but thanks for thinking off me.would cost a fortune and take so long i would off thought.
Seems like shortage of shells over here as took me few days just to get spare shells for my smaller hermits.
But now i seen him twice eating urchin and seen him tonight with the nas snail,i would be scared he got taste for them now and he quite big so i would never even know if 10 reefers before me owned him and they all took him back because got taste for his smaller cuc buddies or should i say in his eyes ( his breakfast dinner and tea lol
 

RedReefer

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Yeah i read this alot but also like the lumpster said above he had his over 2 years so as my 3 red legged scarlet and 11 mini hermits was no trouble i thought i give this big 2 inch bruiser of a crab a try with idea of going back to lfs if gives slighest bit of trouble.
So even if i said he has 3 chances ,he used them 3 chances all up in space of 40 seconds with urchin and snail x 2 lol.
Now its nearly bed time and looks like he trying pull the silicone away in sump with his claws,so im hoping he trying pick some kind of food off and i dont wake up to living room full of water as he eaten through the silicone ha ha .im even thinking make a jail out off eggcrate and zip ties for the brute ^_^
My opinion, a 2" crab will most likely be a mess.
 
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ying yang

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Was watching him and even after 2 hours he just biting silicone near enough constant so even though possibility slim,didnt want to risk it so Started making a eggrate jail and then realised i had an old nursery/acliminsation box from freshwater tanks so put him in there with some nori and pellets ,feel little tight on him but will take him lfs first thing in morning.
 

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Fishfreak2009

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This is strange, IME. I've never had issues with halloween hermits going after anything besides small conches to steal shells if there aren't enough shells for them. I have a large 2.5" halloween hermit now in my 75 gallon mixed reef with 0 issues, have had many in the past, and plan on adding more to both my 75 gallon and 47 gallon reefs.

To me it sounds like this crab is starving and has not gotten enough food in a while, so is trying to eat whatever it can. Your tank pics look pretty bare as well, which would mean a lack of natural algal diet to graze on.
 
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ying yang

ying yang

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This is strange, IME. I've never had issues with halloween hermits going after anything besides small conches to steal shells if there aren't enough shells for them. I have a large 2.5" halloween hermit now in my 75 gallon mixed reef with 0 issues, have had many in the past, and plan on adding more to both my 75 gallon and 47 gallon reefs.

To me it sounds like this crab is starving and has not gotten enough food in a while, so is trying to eat whatever it can. Your tank pics look pretty bare as well, which would mean a lack of natural algal diet to graze on.
Yeah tank was about 5-6 months old at time I made this thread and had hermit in tank matter off days before took back to lfs.
Not now but did used to target feed each and every hermit crab including this halloween with frozen mysis and pieces off clam hanging out off a coral feeder and gave each crab a few pieces each plus algae tablets and algae sheets on a suction cup high up in tank for fishes then used to slide down glass to sandbed once fishes had their fill .
So cant say would off been truly starving but algae on rocks was at a minimum yes.
But In last year and half since tank been up,had multiply hermits attacking and killing snails sometimes to eat the snail,sometimes left snail and took shell and even had a few chase and harass conch snails making the conch jump 6 inch high backwards to escape lol
 

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