Blue-legged vs Red-legged Hermit? (1 Viewer)

[MAXreefer]

I start thinking about the CUC crew for the new setup.
Although I am not the biggest fan of the Blue-legged Hermit crab they do an excellent job but they like to go after snails when they need a bigger housing.

I have read the Red-legged Hermit is a very good worker also but not as aggressive as the Blue ones when it comes to attacking snails.

Is this true? Any experiences?

Thanks
Michael

 

[Neil]

I heard the opposite actually. I thought blue legged were less aggressive? But they are both crabs, and are all opportunists. Loosing a snail every now and then has been worth it for me, hermits are great scavengers.

 

[Fragtastic Reef]

I have always heard blue is less aggresive, although once they get bigger looking for new shells any of them will eat snails...

I prefer just to stick with snails....

 

[liono]

both blue and red i have seen go after snails. They both are the same to me.

 

[Dragon Eye]

Red to us are less aggressive- way preferred over the blue leg.

 

[NickMan]

+1 on the reds being less aggressive in my exp. They both seem to do a good job as part of a CUC.

That being said, any hermit that out grows his shell is going to TAKE one from the previous owner unless there are empty ones available. lol

-Nick

 

[Matt D.]

My couple reds are not as aggressive as my handful of blues, but the blues seem to do a better job overall of simply cleaning up. I don't see the reds until lights out most of the time, and they are much larger than any of the blues.

 

[kjdeut]

I like the reds myself, not sure how aggressive they are. I haven't had to buy snails in over a year or more.

 

[mattb]

Skip them both... CUC, other than snails are pretty overrated...

 

[dougers31]

So are we talking about the standard red hermits or the red leg yellow face hermits???

 

[kjdeut]

I always order the ones called "red leg" hermits.

 

[MAXreefer]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys.
Might just be better off to skip them. Will think about it.

One of the several articles I saw described the following:
Red-legged Hermit Crab (also known as the Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab or the Red Reef Crab) – These crabs do an excellent job of scavenging and keeping algae under control (they will even eat hair algae which most snails avoid). They will also eat fish food. They stay small and are very hardy. Unlike most hermit crabs, they are generally peaceful towards others in the tank. They can sometimes attack snails although the Red Hermit Crab is much less likely to do this than the Blue-legged hermit. To mitigate this problem, toss some spare shells in the tank so they are not fighting the snails for theirs. As they grow and molt, they will look for new shells so it is important to offer these larger spares. They are considered reef safe.

 

[ArstenA]

I think there is a difference between scarlet and red legs...

 

[NickMan]

keep in mind that there are both "Scarlet" hermits and the cheaper and more common "Mexican red-leg" hermits. I actually prefer the Scarlets, (mainly for aesthetic reasons) but they arent always available and cost 2 or 3 times more.

 

[NickMan]

haha, beat me to it

 

[kjdeut]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys.
Might just be better off to skip them. Will think about it.

One of the several articles I saw described the following:
Red-legged Hermit Crab (also known as the Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab or the Red Reef Crab) – These crabs do an excellent job of scavenging and keeping algae under control (they will even eat hair algae which most snails avoid). They will also eat fish food. They stay small and are very hardy.

Those must not be the same ones I have because some of mine haven't gotten pretty big.

 

[MAXreefer]

This is the kind I am talking about.
Description from LiveAquaria:
The Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab, sometimes called the Red Reef Hermit Crab or Red Legged Hermit Crab, has red legs and a yellow face. It is found along the reef faces and coral rubble of the Caribbean and Western Atlantic. It scavenges animal matter and algae, but will only grow to 1-1/2 inches in length.

 

[chemsol]

Hey, let me know what and when you are thinking of stocking. I have to replace some of my CUC as they got lost in the transfer. Maybe we can get a group buy going.

 

[chemsol]

FWIW, I believe the reds were much less agressive than the blues I had.

 

[mcrue15]

Skip the crabs all together a good bottom feeding snail like a nassarus would work alot better for you and turbos can handle the rest for you.