Hermits eating everything

[drksails]

hey folks, the other day I woke up and my large scarlet hermit crab was on top of my blue linkia stargfish tearing it apart and eating it. The crab was on top tearing through the middle of the star. I've also lot a flame scallop eaten by I guess the crab, cause we didn't see it, and one of our sarcophyton was devoured. We have; 1 tomato clown, 1 coral branded shrimp, 2 peppermint shrimp, 2 cleaner shrimp, 1 large red hermit, 2 small red hermits, 1 small blue hermit, 1 porceilen crab, 15 turbo snails and 1 spider (decorater) hitchhiker crab in a large live rock that we have been trying to catch. Any ideas? Did the hermit start this?

 

[Justin74]

Not necessarily, although they can and do become opportunistic eaters especially if hungry. Very commonly though, they'll appear to be eating and killing a critter, when infact they are actually feeding on a dying or dead critter. I witnessed this with a large mexican snail once, I kept trying to shew him off the snail till finally I picked the snail out of the water and smelt it, pee-eew! There very keen and sensitive critters to this, and hopefully in your scenario are an effect and not the cause.Good luck, and dont stop trying to catch that crab! Crabs can be some of the worst opportunistic feeders out there.

-Justin

 

[yellowfiji]

That's why I ban all crabs from my tanks.