Halloween Hermit Crab

Halloween Hermit crabs make an attractive and festive addition to the reef tank. They will eat hair algae, and scavenge leftover fish food. They are somewhat larger than most hermits, but are lazier than most and are not a cost efficient clean up crew member.

Halloween Hermits are members of the Ciliopagurus genus. All of the species in this genus appear similar, they are identified from each other by the different banding patterns on their claws. All of the species in this genus are picky about what snail shells they will move into. They like the shape of cone shells, and are nearly always found in them, with olive shells and mitre shells a distant second. These homes are particularly suited for their wide, short and flat bodies. We now have these shells in stock, so you don't have to hunt them down on your own. Our hermit crabs are usually imported from Indonesia, usually the species Ciliopagurus macrolepis or Ciliopagurus strigatus.

This species has trouble righting itself when added to the aquarium. Additionally their shells roll as they right themselves in bare bottom tanks, and they should probably be avoided in these setups.