Where can I get shells that scarlet reef hermits like?

Tired · Sep 27, 2020

ReefCleaners sells empty hermit shells, but they sell nice shells. Scarlet reef hermits don't like nice shells, they like gnarly, heavy, beat-up shells. See below for examples. Does anyone know of a place that sells ones like this?
Also, how big of a shell should I expect them to have at full size? My current biggest one is in a shell about the size of a walnut.

Doctorgori · Sep 27, 2020

the few hermits I have or purchased love to steal cerith shells ... i thought Florida Aquafarms and Reef Cleaners sold shells separately...if not , I hate to say it but you may have to order live ceriths or narcissus from Reef Cleaners

boacvh · Sep 27, 2020

In my experience they only like the ones that have snails inside

. They completely ignore the empty ones I dropped in my tank.

footgal · Sep 27, 2020

Hi! Check your LFS, they order hermits all the time and I doubt they all make it. Mine sells the shells from the DOAs for like $1 for 5.

cheers!

Tired · Sep 27, 2020

I have ceriths, and they're too small. Scarlet reef hermits like different ones, anyway. They're fussier than some of the other hermits.

My LFS has them, but it's nearly an hour's drive, so I'm trying to find an online place. Plus, I can't go inside the LFS to pick my preferred shapes, since there's a pandemic and all. I'm not risking covid for hermit shells.

footgal · Sep 27, 2020

Tired said:
I have ceriths, and they're too small. Scarlet reef hermits like different ones, anyway. They're fussier than some of the other hermits.

My LFS has them, but it's nearly an hour's drive, so I'm trying to find an online place. Plus, I can't go inside the LFS to pick my preferred shapes, since there's a pandemic and all. I'm not risking covid for hermit shells.

Try reefcleaners? They have so many hermits and snails they must have a lot of death shells that you could ask for instead of the fancy ones

Tired · Sep 27, 2020

I asked, and they only sell the fancy ones. I guess they don't keep the non-fancy ones. Which I wouldn't want them to- it'd be more sustainable to toss the extra ones back, for other hermits to use, than to keep a ton of shells they won't have the market to sell.

Will probably have to ask my LFS to pick some out of the shell bin for me. Guess I get to have a nice long drive. I've tried shells other than what scarlet hermits like, and these guys just won't take 'em.

Tankkeepers · Sep 27, 2020

Another vote for reefcleaners they have medium large empty hermit shells cleaned no dead stuff inside just make sure you order the right one as there are 2 listings I e for smalls and one for the bigger ones get like 20 and then it should be good for awhile if you are getting them from you lfs or anywhere make sure there are not dead tryed up snails inside of them that will crap up your water

Tired · Sep 27, 2020

Like I've now said twice, they don't sell shells that are the right shape. I've ordered many shells from them at this point, trying to find shapes that my hermits will take. They don't want any of these.

vetteguy53081 · Sep 27, 2020

Hobby store such as hobby lobby, some Pet stores and beaches

Tired · Sep 27, 2020

Ah, I hate getting shells from hobby stores. All those are ones that were collected and killed for the shells. And they don't have the kind scarlet reef hermits like, any way, they like really beat-up shells.

As for beaches, I'd love to! But my shell collection doesn't have anything that's the right shape, and size, and intact enough.

I wonder if I could sculpt some out of putty. It wouldn't need to have the full spiral hollow, just enough of a hollow for their tail.

Tankkeepers · Sep 27, 2020

Sorry for trying to help but are you sure they dont want any of those I have scarlet hermits and they take to the smaller turbo type shells just fine hermits only move shells if they think the new one is a better fit for their current body and has nothing to do with the look of the shell your best bet would be to look on eBay and buy each one by itself after talking to the seller but it sounds more like you want them to take a shell that you like not what they need not to mention if you emailed John at reefcleaners and explained exactly what you wanted he would find some for you as he has for me

Tired · Sep 27, 2020

Some hermit crabs have preferences in the type of shell they want. Halloween hermits, for example, prefer cone snails. It's not about the look of the shell, it's about the shape of the opening and of the shell itself. I've given them multiple empty shells to inspect, all lying with the opening facing up. They go and poke inside, then ignore it.

Tankkeepers · Sep 27, 2020

Yep they do that all the time that only means they don't think that the shell is as good of a home as they are currently in if they are still in a shell I would not be worried about them as they are fine and as long as you have multiple sized shells when they outgrow the current shell they will move no hermit likes a shell with a hole in it for the simple fact it leave what they are trying to protect vulnerable I have seen mine change shells all the time and it may not be them looking for a new home it may be them looking to see if there js any food in the shell they can eat and once they see there is not they move on mine check just about every shell they come accrossed looking for a snack and also when I say alot of shells I mean alot like 10 of each size per hermit you have and even then they will still kill eachother and snails to get their shell eat what they killed switch shells only to go around the tank for 20 minutes come acrossed the ine they just left and switch back

Tired · Sep 27, 2020

I don't HAVE multiple sized shells. That's the problem. Scarlet hermit crabs almost exclusively wear either a whelk-like shell, a really beat up whelk-like shell, or something a bit like a cerith. I don't have those. Mine have molted multiple times in these shells, they should be growing, but they're not. One definitely isn't full size yet, one might be. I'm trying to make sure I have shells they like on hand, so they can change shells when they need to.
Look online. Pretty much every scarlet hermit you can find in a picture is in one of those three shells. Exceptions are rare enough that I'm thinking they really don't want to be in other shells.

Also, your posts are really hard to read like that. I appreciate that you're trying to give good advice, but I can barely read it. Without periods and other punctuation, my brain just slides along the whole thing.

Tankkeepers · Sep 27, 2020

Ya that's just me f in grammer if yours really are that picky good luck to you but you just said you have bought alot of shells from reefcleaners and if you have a ton of shells larger then the ones they are in they will be fine with a turbo type shell the only other option I can think of as ceriths dont get big enoff for a full grown scarlet hermit would be nassarius tonga shells they are much larger then cerith and have a similar oblonged shape unlike the rounded turbo shape and whatever shells you have and or get dont take them out of the tank leave them in and they will change when the need arises I hope you find what you are looking for sry if I was rude only trying to help and mabey if they really will only take a shell with a hole in it buy a bunch of Tonga shells and what not and drill a hole in the shells yourself then use some nippers to beat it up or a hand made tumbler

Tired · Sep 27, 2020

No, they don't want a shell with a hole in it. I mean the entrance hole. The opening they live in.
Look at the crabs in the first post. Scarlet reef hermits seem to really like shells like those- thick, heavy walls, relatively small opening. I don't think they care what the outside looks like, I just have no idea what those shells look like before they get beat up like that, so I don't know how else to refer to them. They're some sort of snail that looks like it lives in a rock tumbler.

Thanks for the advice. I might try and make a shell out of putty, just to see if they'll take it, and I guess I'll have to go to my LFS and get some. Thank goodness for curbside pickup.

JohnnyBeagle · Sep 27, 2020

Just lost a hermit because he wouldn't use any of the nice shells I had scattered around the tank so he was she'll free for a few minutes and got picked at so following for answers

NinjaTiLL · Sep 27, 2020

Try salty underground.com. They have a 30 pack for about $7. The shells are a bit heavy but came in many sizes.

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Tankkeepers · Sep 27, 2020

Ya them being out of their shell is a sign they needed a new one as I said before try looking into Tonga nassarius shells they be the right fit or go on eBay and look around but iv been reef keeping for 15 years have had every type of hermit there is and once they get to big for the shell they are in as long as you have alot of various size shells laying around they will take a new one but you need alot as in 10 of each size all larger then tbey are per hermit so basically a large bed of shells of various sizes and shapes reefcleaners ebay hobbie store alot of places you can get an from good luck to you all and hope u find what your looking for but iv never had a problem keeping them in New shells only them killing eachother and snails