hermit crabs

i got 5 hermit crabs a while ago, do they 'swap shells' like the old freshwater ones i had when i was lil do?

Also, where would I get shells for them from? I checked good ole ebays and found some 'hermit crab shells' they look good, and unpainted too!! :thumbs_up just thought i would double check that if they were fresh water shells- it doesnt say- or if a shell is a shell!!!

lol, sorry this q might be silly, i dunno, just like to make sure!


allllssso, how many hermts should I have in a 70 gallon tank?

 

Yes, saltwater hermit crabs swap shells as well. I found a "bag of shells" at a Wal-Mart for ~$3, and they've moved in to some of them. I prefer the scarlet legged hermits over the rest. For a 70 gallon, maybe 15-20, all depending on the food supply available to them.

 

Bogie pretty much summed it up. You want to make sure the hermits you get stay small, so red legged and you can mix it up with some blue legged. Snails should be the better part of the clean up crew. Any shell will do.

 

Try checking out your local pet shop as many times they have empty shells of various sizes, ideally suited for your hermits to be able to change as they grow.
Be aware that hermits will kill snails to capture and use their shell as their new home.

 

Reef Cleaners has shells. I got some when I bought my snails.

 

Do what coral reefer said, ask the lfs. Mine has waaaaay too many and was glad to get rid of them when I asked. At some point you also will have too many like the rest of us.

 

awe, my hermy died a few days ago He was such a hard worker too, I was so proud of him...I think he got stuck between the rocks cause I found his shell wedged between them, and his poor little body not to far...and he just moved into that shell about a week ago. It was so funny, I bought some shells from WalMart too, and I put about 4 of them in, he tried on every one till he found the "perfect" one...RIP little Hermy.

 

just for my info, what do you need to maintain hermit crabs, astrea and turbo snails? i've heard drop of calicium?

 

I think he just molted he wasn't dead, mine molt all the time and I see parts of their bodies floating around the tank. I must ask are those fake plants in the tank?

 

The GROT is not to add what you cannot test for. You can add calcium to your tank, and there are many products that will suffice. But you need to be able to take levels and create a balance. If you are adding Calcium, then you need to keep an eye on your dKh (an indicator for bicarb) and Magnesium. A little tricky, but you will get the hang of it pretty quickly.

Some aquarists do not keep hermits, especially in a reef environment. I have opted out (with the exception of my lone large hermit who I have had from the beginning). Two different camps on this, based on experience.