Will Hermit crabs bother T. Maxima

[scottfaulkner11]

I noticed one of my hermits climbing all over my blue maxima's shell, watched it for a while and then it started messing with the clams mantle so i pulled the crab off and moved it away. Will they actually do anything to damage the clam?

[Ninong]

I had a dozen scarlet reef hermits (Paguristes cadenati) in my 120-gal reef aquarium with five clams (three T. maxima and two T. crocea) and they didn't bother any of the clams as far as I know.

My biggest complaint with the hermits was that they were predators on some of the sand bed infauna and they were a threat to kill snails.

One Hawaiian vendor shipped me at least a dozen so-called micro hermits but they didn't stay micro very long. I managed to catch all of those little terrorists and remove them from my tank. I didn't order them and I wasn't charged for them. They were just thrown in as lagniappe on an order.

I didn't have the heart to remove the scarlets but I sure wish I had ordered only three or four, at the most, instead of a dozen.

Some people like lots and lots of hermits in their reef tanks. I guess I'm not one of those people.

[scottfaulkner11]

haha, thanks. Ive got about 12 too ill probably cut it down quite a bit