Hermit Crab-USeful?

[clownfish88]

Is hermit crab useful to keep thetank clean? will it harm the fish and coral?

Please advise.

[Achilles Tang]

Depends on the type of hermit crabs that you get.

There are some that are known herbivores and will feed only on algae but crabs being crabs... if their claws are big enough to catch any meaty prey they will eat them too.

They are scavengers too by nature... so in a way they help to clean up dead carcasses.

[VanDeam]

"Safer Hermits "

Scarletts Red Hermit

or

Electrical Blue Legged Hermit

these are generally safer .less chance to attk fishes and invert.

[sadist]

Could these 2 types of crabs live peacefully together ?

[VanDeam]

yes provided they have ample moving grounds and that u have spare shells for them to house instead of killing each other for shells .

but do take note . for electrical blue hermit . if u keep above population of 10 , some reefers and myself did notice they take a destructive behavior .. chasing down snails and other shelled inverts . increasing their moving pattern toppling corals etc .