Halloween ruining my star polyps

Hello all,
Well lastnight I purchased a large peice of LR with some awesome green star polyps. Well about 30 minutes or so after I acclimated and placed them in my tank...one of my Halloween hermit crabs climbed right on and started eating some of the purple mat......I wasnt sure at first if that is what he was munching on because he was on a part of bare LR at first but then he moved over and started picking on the polyps. I managed to knock him off and place him all the way on the other corner of the tank, and of course he just crawled right back and started picking at it again!!! Then about 10 minutes later, one of my smaller red reef hermits joined him for a midnight snack!!!!! AHHH

I did research the polyps prior to purchasing and didnt come across any issues with this, and have since looked around for issues with Hermits eating these and didnt find anything either.....has anyone else has or heard of this problem???


*BTW, I have talked with a few people on this message board about their interest in Halloween Hermit Crabs (Black w/ Orange Stripes) and let me just say....those things grow OUT OF CONTROL...they have gone thru like 5 shell sizes in a span of about 4-5 months....they are HUGE!!!! And my red reef hermits have basically stayed the same size! They are little mosters!!! ;D hehehe Just an FYI!

 

Toss the hermit crab in the sump. As far as I know, it is not a reef safe hermit.

 

Ya I've heard the halloween hermits are touchy when it comes to coral munching. But I've never heard of reds eating anything.

Could it just be the die off they are eating?

 

I disagree with amcarrig. If you read closely on the orange-knuckle hermit, it is one of the most sought after hermits and somewhat hard to come by in some areas. It is also noted to eat cyanobacteria. I've had one before and he would always graze the rock and not once noticed it tearing a coral in half. The one who is untrustworthy is the scarlett hermit. I have seen it time and time again causing chaos in a reef tank. I remember I saw one eating a brittle star ALIVE!

I highly doubt it's eating the polyps, unless you saw it first hand rip the polyp right before your eyes, then the hermit is a little destructive. I think each hermit is not the same and each display different behavior. Algae and such does grow within the mat of the polyps, so they may be eating some nice stuff there. It's normal for your hermits to run over to the newest rock you introduce because it has fresh algae to eat and they will eventually harmlessly crawl over a coral once in a while. Hermits have no respect for corals, but will not harm them. Unless they get real big.

I do know that they can get destructive if too big. Their appetite seems to grow and get a little evil.

 

Halloween hermits are usually sold as "reef safe WITH CAUTION"....that in itself would keep me from adding one to my tank

 

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=1638&N=4

Read up, I know Drs. Foster & Smith are a trustworthy site.

dancin, is it Calcinus sp. or Ciliopagurus strigatus? Both are trustworthy.

 

The same site says that scarlet hermits are perfectly safe yet you feel that they're not. I've never had a problem with scarlets myself but tend to stay away from any hermits that get larger than the average blue leg. I would never rely 100% on information that is provided on a site that sells the animals that they claim are safe.

As for the halloween hermit being trustworthy, the same site specifically says that Halloween hermits:

"These Hermit Crabs can become destructive in a reef aquarium when they attain a large size. "

The way I see it, if the crab is eating Tracy's green star polyps, it is hardly safe. Even if it's only eating the algae off the corals, the fact that it is destroying the coral mat in the process would be enough for me to toss it in the sump.

 

I stay away from all hermits. I had a few so called reef safe, they started to eat my polyps.

 

Wow...thanks for all the info. Ya, unfortunately, I do not have a sump. It is very possible that they could be eating die off or something other than the polyp itself...Ill keep a close watch to determine if Ill be keeping them in my tank. I have seen them on both my zoos, hammer, and feather duster at one point, which caused a little concern, but didn't see any actual damage being done, or any signs of damage to the corals after....so Ill keep an eye out....man, the more I go through this, the more I'm learning any crab, hermit or true is always pretty risky....even though they are all different, the risk is still there....

Anyway, thanks again all of you for your help! Ill keep ya posted!

 

Ya, especially when the site is run by two doctors. So, you wouldn't trust Julian Sprung when trying to sell you his products through Two Little Phishies? Just because they sell doesn't mean you shouldn't trust their information and knowledge.

The reason I say scarletts are dangerous is because I have seen it time and time again; Now that obviously says something about the scarletts, no? As for the rest, all have been grazing algae, even large electric blue hermits. mannyhernz has a huge electric blue hermit, ask him if that hermit has ever ate his coral. The one thing I noticed is that these hermits will crawl over corals, but that doesn't mean their eating them or harming them. Their is a possibility that dancin's hermit was just eating algae between the polyps on the mat. I have a green tulip star frag and it has tons of growth on the mat in between the polyps.

Dancin', just keep an eye out for the little guy. The best way of knowing if he is really causing trouble is to catch him in the act. ;D I am open to the possibility that he may be causing ruckus, although I hope not.