The Puffer Forum

well, i just got back from camping for 2 nights and found some empty hermit shells.
and full bellied puffers, pretty awsome to have live food in there that helps keep the
tank clean!

forgot to add this question to my last post...

Is the exoskeleton of the hermits hard enough to keep the beaks from overgrowing or should i look for more snails?

The hermit shells will do fine, but varied diets are always good, so make sure to change up what the eat once in a while.

for sure, thanks!

Agnate wrote:Yeah, I'd like to get some aquatic Hermits for my brackish tank... now I just need to find some.

i'm poking around the internet and am going to ask around about getting permits to collect hermits for selling comercially.
anyone interested?

I live in Canada, so I imagine the crabs would be dead by the time they get here (as its currently winter). Plus, my brackish tank will only be at 1.005, so I don't think it's enough salt for them.

mine's at 1.008 right now and they are doing fine. i could experiment with a lower salinity if i can get my hands on permits. but i think your right about the temperature.

What kind of hermit crabs are they? Maybe I can find some in a LFS or something (or request them).

they're Left Handed Hermit Crabs (Calcinus Laevimanus).
they're very abundant in tide pools all over the island.

quick update on the left handed guys...
apparently they don't like water changes...
my last water change was 50% and i lost 8 crabs. i have 3 remaining. finding and removing all the
dead ones wasn't too fun. fortunatly they are free, i think i'll remove them while i change the water next time.

Actually, the chances for a Mantis Shrimp (even a large one) taking out a puffer (unless the puffer is very, very small) are not too good. Puffers happen to be one of those fish that dispose of Mantis Shrimp very quickly. When certain aquarists happen to accidentally aquire an unwanted Mantis, the puffer is often called in. But, you don't want to use a Puffer to rid a Mantis in a reef aquarium. They will do far more damage and killing than the Mantis would have.

On a side note, I’ve never experienced a marine animal (mammals not included) that I fell in love with more than my Mantis Shrimp (Worf). I am really upset by how these wonderful creatures are treated. I’ve spent my life with reef tanks, cichlid tanks, puffers, etc. but never had an animal in a tank that I adored more than the Mantis. These creatures are very smart. I think the only marine animals (again, other than the mammals) that may surpass it in intelligence are certain octopus and the cuddle fish. They are highly developed, and have a great personality (well... maybe other than when they are very hungry). Mine used to actually come out in the open and go to sleep when I came in the room and turned the tank light on. Sometimes he would just come to the front of the tank (even when he was full) and stare at me while he was cleaning his eyes and mouth (very much like a cat in many ways). I used to put my hands in the tank to clean algae or re-arrange the decor and he used to casually swim around, and never got at all agressive or seem to feel threatened. It was a pet. Sadly he died unexpectedly. I had him for 5 years, but they can live far longer than that. I suspect it was a bad batch of food I gave him, I don’t know. But whatever you do, I encourage you to do some research on these cool little guys and check them out. Don’t follow the uneducated herd and despise and dispose of them for no reason . I found out that these are the types of creatures that make the aquarium hobby so special.

They're a cool invert, much like puffers are a cool fish, but they have a habit of unexpectedly arriving in tanks where they can kill expensive, desired livestock, which is where they get their reputations. A hitchiker sized one would unlikely be a threat to a puffer, but I've seen larger types that could break aquarium glass, and easily slay most reef fish puffers included. They are adorable tho.