Marine Hermit Crabs

[limeslide]

Hello. I came here long ago searching for some good plant info. I found some.
But i quit fishing years (Well 1 year) ago. I still have the fish but don't do projects with them any more.


I have gotten into a Hermit Crab addiction and thought " Hey, what about MHC! " So instead of getting a leopard gecko i'm getting MHC ( Marine Hermit Crabs)

I'm looking for the cheapest solution since i just baught loads of stuff for my turtle .
I am also wondering what MHC species are out there. I alredy know the LHC species and all but i am quite new to MHC .


Any help? I don't want coral. No algea but maybe some rocks and sand with fake plants It's gonna be in a 10 gal.


Tell me what you think and some info please.

Thank you!

 

[Colin_T]

Marine hermit crabs are easy enough to keep. Just set up a basic marine tank with some rock, sand and plastic plants and filter. Add seawater (either natural or artificial), cycle the tank as you do with freshwater fish. Once it has cycle add the crabs.
If you keep tropical crabs then keep the water warm with an aquarium heater. There are temperate and tropical crabs and they occur all over the world.
They eat anything and do well of frozen fish food.
Tank maintenance is the same as for freshwater. Do a partial water change every now and then (1-2 weeks usually). Check the salt level with a hydrometer (plastic chamber are the cheapest and best value for money).
Have a light above the tank so you can watch them at night.

 

[limeslide]

Cool! Thanks for the help. About how much does Live rock cost? Can i use normal rocks?

 

[saltynay]

Live rock is litterally alive it has bacterial growth and critters living in there, it is transported in water to keep it "alive" ultimately its brilliant stuff and if you are lucky you may get free inverts with your purchase. I am not sure how much it costs soz buts its infinitely better then normal rock as it actively filters the waters with bacteria living in the rock therefore I reccomend you only buy from a "good" store.

 

[Colin_T]

it's impossible to say how much live rock will cost because it depends on where you live and where the rock comes from.

You can get limestone and sandstone rock from the beach (from in the sea water) and it is live rock but doesn't have the same stuff (inverts and alga) that the tropical live rock does. Also any rock that has been in sea water for more than 6 months is considered live rock.

Try to use calcium based rocks like limestone and sandstone so they help buffer the pH of the water.

 

[limeslide]

My friend which usally never anwsers my PMs and Qs had an Aptasia problem. I'll ask my mom if i can get some at Petco. I'll have to bring 80 dollars or so......


Any way to prevent and bad anemonies and other stuff?

 

[Colin_T]

Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni) will eat Aiptasia and pick up any uneaten food in the tank. They are relatively cheap and do a good job.

If you look at any rock in the shop tank before you buy it, you should be able to see what is living on it. Then after it has been taken out of the tank, check it for mantis shrimps and crabs. these will be hiding in gaps and holes in the rocks.

 

[limeslide]

Peppermint Shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni) will eat Aiptasia and pick up any uneaten food in the tank. They are relatively cheap and do a good job.

If you look at any rock in the shop tank before you buy it, you should be able to see what is living on it. Then after it has been taken out of the tank, check it for mantis shrimps and crabs. these will be hiding in gaps and holes in the rocks.

Ok thank you!