Most crayfish lovers claim that caring for a hermit crab is not too difficult. However, at first it is better to follow the instructions, so as not to harm the new pet.

Choosing the right home

First of all, you should think about where your pet will live. A glass aquarium would be ideal. To choose the required volume, it is important at the initial stage to decide how many hermits you plan to settle there. Look at the photo and check the size. At the initial pores, count 1 cm of cancer per 1.5 liters. In order to determine the size of the cancer, it is necessary to accurately measure the inner diameter of the shell with a ruler. Don't forget to save room for three meals, toys and various hiding places, as well as a free place where the crayfish can roam freely. As in situations with fish, it is important to keep an eye on the number of inhabitants, but a lack will also not be beneficial. If you roughly imagine your future crayfish nursery, then 5-6 small crayfish will comfortably get along in a 40-liter aquarium. If possible, then immediately purchase an aquarium for growth. The wider the pet house, the more different entertainment you can build there. Photos of various attractions can be found on the Internet. Buying a 40 liter tank will inevitably incur additional costs as your pets grow.

Do not neglect the advice about the presence of a lid. Hermit crab is a master of escape. If you forget to cover the aquarium for at least 10 minutes, be sure that you will spend the next time hunting for a fugitive. The vented glass lid is the best defense against the endless search for escaped crayfish.

Perfect lining

Creating a lining not only decorates the aquarium, but also has practical value. The substrate must have a thickness of at least 15 centimeters or the height of the largest individual multiplied by two. For small crayfish, 12.5 is enough, and for a brood, 10. These numbers indicate the optimal depth for molting. Sand is considered the best available substrate. If possible, purchase compressed coconut fiber. To save money, you can mix these two types of soil. Pay attention to maintaining humidity. It is important that both the sand and the coconut fiber are slightly damp. To help achieve this effect will help constant hydration and the presence of a glass lid. Thanks to this microclimate, crayfish quickly increase in growth and develop fully.

Dishes, shelters, toys

The hermit crab loves obstacles and minks. Therefore, try to provide them with optimal leisure time. To do this, it is important to make sure that hermit crabs easily pass through the narrowest passages and exits. It is advisable to equip the aquarium with several types of shelters, which can be found not only in stores, but also prepared from improvised materials, just look at the photos of finished aquariums. Their number should be proportional to the number of individuals.

Ideal cover options:

• Ceramic chipped pots;
• coconut shell;
• sinks;
• Caves for reptiles;
• Other decorations.

In addition to hide and seek, the hermit crab is not averse to practicing rock climbing. If you like to watch agile pets, then install some inclined surfaces for them to climb. Various branches, hard plants, decor, stones and even sea duck shells are suitable for this.

The size of the bowl should match the size of the crayfish you have. So, hermit crabs should, when immersed in a bowl, go deep by about ¾ of their body. It is important that hermit crabs can have free access to bowls, as immersed in water, they make a supply of liquid for a long time. For the young, build bridges over which they can climb and fall into the bowl.

During molting, crayfish do not grow new shells, but use those left from dead snails, so you will have to try and find a large selection of different shells. The preferred shape of the shell opening will depend on the breed of the hermit crab. Visual photos will help you decide in more detail. To make it easier for the cancer to find new protection, periodically keep the houses in salt water.

Proper water is the key to health

The only problem in the optimal maintenance of crayfish is the selection of water. The fact is that ordinary chlorinated tap water burns the gills and leads to the painful death of pets. It is important to use purified water, both for drinking and for moisturizing. Purchase several bottles of clean water at the pet store. Don't forget about the water conditioner. For this purpose, the usual biological film is not suitable, it can only be used for bathing crayfish and for keeping fish. You need to find a conditioner that will remove chlorine from the water and neutralize metals.

Crayfish use two types of water: fresh and salty. If everything is clear with fresh, then salty must be prepared at the rate of 10 tablespoons of aquarium salt per 1 batch of water. Wait 12 hours for the salts to completely dissolve and let the crayfish enjoy. The humidity of the aquarium should be between 79-89 percent.

Feeding

There are no problems with feeding crayfish. The fact is that hermit crabs calmly eat any kind of food, because in their natural environment they consume any available food. They will gladly eat the leftovers from your table, canned food. They will not refuse fruits and seafood, which are very important for maintaining optimal levels of vitamins. Feed them meat, cereals, groceries and rolled oats. If today you did not cook anything, then the crayfish will gobble up specialized food. True, crayfish do not eat much, so let's eat in small batches and see how they react to it.

Heating a prepared aquarium

Since hermit crabs are considered tropical inhabitants, the optimum temperature for them ranges from 27 degrees. Most often, the apartments of an average house are not heated enough for them, so install a bottom heater that is attached to the bottom from the outside, this can be clearly seen in the photo. It is low-power and gives an increase of only 5 degrees, but this is quite enough. It is not advisable to use a tungsten filament, as it quickly dries the air. Ideally, if you can create different temperature conditions in different sides of the aquarium.

Hermit crabs belong to the superfamily of decapod crayfish from the infraorder of the incompletely tailed (crustaceans subtype, higher crayfish class). Most hermit crabs use gastropod shells to avoid being eaten as they without these shells, they are completely defenseless. Hermit crabs live mainly in shallow seas, up to about 80 meters, as well as in bays, where there are constant ebbs and flows. There are over 450 species of hermit crabs. Most of the body of the hermit crab hides in the shell, and only a few paws stick out, with which they walk. The largest paw (claw) in hermit crabs serves to close the entrance to the shell. A hermit crab shell not only serves as protection, but also helps keep the shell moist.

Hermit crabs feed on mollusks, annelids, pieces of dead fish, and other crustaceans. Therefore, they are corpse-eaters, predators. Throughout their lives, hermit crabs have to constantly change their shells to larger ones. As soon as they change shells, they begin the process of molting.

I have already seen many hermit crabs, from very tiny to giants. They constantly crawl along the shore, you can see a lot of running shells of various colors. When you take a shell in your hands, the hermit crab immediately hides and closes the entrance to the shell, which gives the impression that there is no one there. Sometimes they hide so diligently that it happens that you collect a shell for souvenirs and then a hermit crab sits in one or two. By the way, if you hold a shell with it in your hand, then after a while the cancer will get its claws and start running. Some cancers crawl out earlier, some later. Apparently some are more shy, others less so.

Read also about how the hermit crab fell out of its shell.

Gathering of hermit crabs:

Tiny beautiful shell with hermit crab:

It's a giant hermit crab! These are rare.

Hermit crab is one of the representatives of the class of crustaceans. In nature, there are many species that can live both on land and on the seabed.

Description

Hermit crab is a fairly common species, one of those animals that can always be found on the seabed. Its size depends on the species, but on average does not exceed 8-12 centimeters.

A feature of this type of crayfish is a soft abdomen, on which there is no shell. This makes the hermit crab quite vulnerable, therefore, in order to protect itself, the animal is forced to hide all its life in the shell of a gastropod mollusk. Animals almost never part with their house, they carry it everywhere on themselves. In order to hold the shell, the rear pair of legs of the hermit crab shortened during evolution.

Some types of crayfish leave the shell and get out on land after they have grown a little. However, their abdomen is still vulnerable, so the animals have to constantly bend their tail under them.

Seeing a hermit crab hide in its shell is fascinating enough. Only its head and three front pairs of legs are visible. It is important to note here that the left claw of the front pair of legs of the crayfish is always larger than the right one. This is another precaution. It is with the left claw that the hermit crab closes the entrance to its house.

The color of crayfish differs not only depending on the species, but also on its age. So, young individuals almost always have a pale beige color. As they grow, they become blue, pink, purple, red, or other shades of these colors.

Housing problem

The shell, which serves as protection and home for the hermit crab, at the same time causes many problems. The fact is that as an individual grows, she has to change one house for another, suitable in size. The sea hermit crab in this regard is much more successful than its land relatives, because there are almost always empty shells on the seabed.

In the absence of an empty shell, cancer is able to modernize its old home. How he does it? With the help of the same pair of legs that hold the house, it expands the interior of the shell, and causes chemical corrosion of its walls. This behavior is more typical for terrestrial species, for example, Ecuadorian hermit crabs. In addition to the fact that the house can be used for a longer time, such redevelopment has another significant advantage. The weight of the shell becomes less, so it is much easier to carry it around. It should be noted that the thinning of the walls does not affect the protective function.

For crayfish living on the seabed, the housing problem is solved relatively easily: they simply transplant into another shell. If this is absent, cancer begins to look closely at its relatives. If the hermit is lucky enough to find a brother whose shell is clearly too big for him, he may offer an exchange. To do this, cancer taps on the sink in a special way. If the neighbor agrees, he responds by tapping the rock on the claw. But it may be that such an idea will not be to his liking. In that case, he

takes a threatening pose, or simply closes in his house.

Hermit crab and sea anemone

Most often, a hermit crab can be seen not alone, but with a roommate. They are actinia. This is one of the classic forms of symbiosis, when both animals benefit from living together. For cancer, this is an additional protection, because anemone secretes a special poison that is dangerous for enemies. It is worth saying that the constant spraying of such a poison produces immunity in a hermit crab, so it does not cause him any harm.

For an anemone, this cohabitation is a way to get more food for itself, because the cancer is constantly moving, and it can catch more territory.

It is worth saying that almost all adult anemones live on the shell of a hermit crab, or right on its back. Only juveniles remain on the rocks. But many crayfish transplant them to their own house on their own. In addition, when the cancer moves to another house, he carefully relocates his cohabitant.

There are times when two sea anemones can live on a shell at the same time. In this case, they are arranged in such a way as to balance the house, and not accidentally turn it over with the owner.

Other roommates

Among the intestinal anemones, they are also not the only cohabitants who are accepted by the hermit crab. Photographs taken by scientists prove that zoantaria can also settle on the hermit shell. In this symbiosis, their role is exactly the same as that of anemones.

In the shallow sea of ​​the subtropics, you can see small shells of mollusks, from which antennas stick out and the legs of the inhabitant of the house are visible. Cancer hermit along with the dwelling, it moves along the sand, leaving behind traces on long paths. A cautious creature does not leave the shelter; when trying to examine it, it hides in the depths of the shell.

Description and features

Hermit crab is considered a type of decapod crayfish that lives in sea waters. An empty shell of a clam one day becomes the house of this representative, which he never leaves out of caution. The back of the animal's body is hidden in the depths of the shelter, and the front is outside the shell to lead an active life.

Hermit crab in the photo always captured in the house, ready to travel with a load exceeding the volume of the animal itself. The size of a small inhabitant is 2.5-3 cm in length. Large representatives of the species grow up to 10-15 cm, giants of individual species - up to 40 cm.

The second name of the hermit is pagr. The bare belly of cancer, not protected by chitin, is a tasty morsel for numerous predators. The well-fed body of the hermit crab is pushed into an abandoned shell of a suitable size, and settles in a spiral tunnel.

The hind legs hold the animal so firmly in the house that it is not possible to pull out the crustacean - it simply breaks into pieces.

Evolution has adapted cancer to wearing houses of different "styles", so there is no definite answer to what a hermit looks like. Most often, various shells of sea mollusks settle down, but if they are not nearby, then a bamboo stalk or any object of a suitable size that protects the delicate body of the crustacean can become a house.

The living crustacean does not attack, does not forcibly evict. But hermit crab relationship with relatives are not always worthy. A strong hermit crab may kick a weak neighbor out of the house to bolster its security.

In the process of growing the animal, the shell has to be changed to another shelter that is suitable in size. This is not an easy task, since the house should be light - it is difficult to move a crustacean with a heavy burden. Experts notice that hermits arrange an exchange of dwellings.

An interested crustacean taps on the neighbor's house, if he wants to enter into a voluntary deal with him. The sign of refusal is the entrance to the shell closed by a large claw. Only after successfully solving the "housing problem" does the weight gain of the animal begin.

Interestingly, different types of hermit crabs have different signals about the desire to exchange houses. Some tap the walls of their neighbor with their claws, others shake the shells they like, and still others use both methods of communication. The established contact is mutually beneficial. But it happens that misunderstanding of the signal leads to a deaf defense or a crayfish fight.

The small crustacean has many enemies. Particular danger is manifested during the period of change of housing, when a defenseless creature becomes an easy prey for larger marine life. But even in the house, crustaceans are vulnerable to octopuses, squids, cephalopods, whose strong jaws can easily crush any crustacean house.

Kinds

Crustacean representatives of the fauna are considered the most common on the planet. Animals differ in color, size, habitat. Allocate hundreds types of hermit crabs, not all of which have been sufficiently studied. The most famous representatives are well known to residents of the coasts, lovers of exploring the inhabitants of reservoirs.

Diogenes. The hermit is often found on the sea coast of Anapa. They leave tangled tracks on sandy beaches with spiral shells of netted tricia. The crustacean got its name in honor of the philosopher of Greece, known according to legend for living in a barrel.

The size of the hermit is small, about 3 cm. The color of the calf is gray or pink. Legs protrude from the shell, eyes on stalks, feathery antennae of the organs of touch and smell.

Klibanary. Bottom inhabitants of pebble beaches, found in rocky places. Large crustaceans are several times larger than Diogenes and inhabit the spacious shells of rapans. The color is bright orange, red, corresponding to coral reefs.

Palm thief. Unlike relatives, empty shells are needed by cancer only at an early stage of development. Adult individuals are real giants, grow up to 40 cm, weight up to 4 kg. The meat of the crayfish is used by the locals for food. Crayfish live on the islands of the Indian Ocean, lead a land lifestyle. The name was given for the interest in coconut fruits falling to the ground. Cancer is often confused with crab.

Aquarium enthusiasts often choose inhabitants based on their color scheme. Bright representatives of hermit crabs are popular:

• gold-spotted;
• red-footed Mexican;
• orange-striped;
• blue-striped.

Structure

The appearance of animals is largely shaped by their stay in an elongated shell. The structure of the hermit crab can be seen when it is in rare moments outside the shell. Nature has endowed the animal with many adaptations with which he feels protected. The front part of the body is covered with a thick layer of chitin.

The shell protects the animal from enemies. The strong external skeleton does not grow as the animal develops. During the molting period, the hermit crab sheds its shell, which is an unusual phenomenon. After some time, a new chitinous layer grows. Old clothes, if left in the aquarium where the crustacean lives, become its food.

Claws are the main weapon of the crustacean. In comparison with the cephalothorax, torso, they look massive. The right claw, larger, blocks the inlet to the shell if danger threatens.

The left one, smaller in size, is active in the search for food. The pincers are close to the head. Nearby are two pairs of walking legs. They move cancer across the surface. Other legs, two hidden pairs, very small, do not participate in walking.

The part of the body hidden in the shell, covered with a soft cuticle, is not protected by chitin. Covers provide gas exchange of an organism. The hermit crab has to hide its unprotected body in a shell. Just small legs help to stay in the house, preventing the house from falling off. Nature took care of the purpose of each organ.

Lifestyle and habitat

Hermit crab is found on the coasts of Europe, the shores of Australia, and the Caribbean islands. Various species are settled around the world mainly in shallow areas of the seas and oceans with tides, but crustaceans also live on sandy river banks, in forests along the coasts.

They leave the aquatic environment, returning to it only during the breeding season. Some types of hermits go deep under water up to 80-90 meters. The main element is salt and fresh water.

A small crustacean is considered a brave and hardy animal. The ability to defend oneself, to wear one’s home all one’s life, to build relationships with relatives is not given to every living organism.

The crustaceans experience the greatest risk of becoming a victim of predators during the period of changing the house. The low tide opens their hiding places under the rocks, among the gorges. Many solitary crustaceans live in symbiosis with poisonous anemones, polychaete worms. A mutually beneficial existence strengthens each side in the issues of independence and fodder.

Widely known hermit crab symbiosis and the sea anemone, a close relative. They settle together with hermits on their territory, use them as carriers, and feed on the remnants of food. Hermit crab and sea anemone together against the enemies. The cohabitation of two organisms is an example of a beneficial symbiosis - mutualism.

The benefit of the anemone is that, moving slowly, it lacks food - marine inhabitants remember its location, avoid appearing nearby. Moving on a hermit's shell increases the chances of catching prey.

Marine hermit crab receives powerful protection - anemone poison kills small organisms, and causes severe burns to large ones. It is interesting that cohabitants do not cause harm to each other. Unions sometimes break up due to the need to change the cramped housing of the growing crustacean. An empty shell does not stand idle for a long time, there is a new tenant, satisfied with the house with a live guard.

The unions of the hermit prido and the anemone adamsia are for life. In the process of vital activity, the sea anemone completes the shell with secreted mucus, which quickly hardens. The crustacean does not have to look for a new home.

An important feature of the life of a hermit is the condition of the purity of the reservoir. A large number of inhabitants on the coast is a sign of environmental safety. Unfortunately, the pollution of European seas is causing a decline in populations.

Activity is inherent in crayfish at any time of the day. They lead a continuous journey in search of food. This is driven by their omnivorous nature. Dead fish they butcher to a bare skeleton in a few hours.

Modern aquarium lovers breed hermit crabs in their autonomous reservoirs. Care of the inhabitants is simple. It is important to gradually acclimatize the animals to the aquarium water.

Habitat change sometimes manifests itself in premature molting of crayfish. Observing the behavior of animals is a very exciting activity. With other inhabitants of the aquarium, they are very friendly, never show aggression.

Food

The diet of hermit crabs varies by region. In general, they are omnivorous - they consume plant and animal feed. The food includes annelids, mollusks, other representatives of crustaceans, echinoderms. Do not disdain dead fish, other carrion.

They look for food in the inflow and outflow of the coastal strip, on rocky surfaces. Algae, stuck eggs, the remains of someone else's feast - everything will be a delicacy for crayfish. Land individuals feed on carrion fruits, small insects, and coconuts.

The inhabitants of aquariums consume special food or anything that falls from the dining table - meat, cereals, hercules, groceries. Dried algae, pieces of fruit will enrich the diet with vitamins.

Reproduction and lifespan

Spring and summer are periods of rivalry between males and females, who play the main role in the breeding process. They produce eggs, carry future offspring (up to 15,000 individuals) on their abdomen. In a week, larvae are formed, ready for independent life in water.

There are four stages of molting, during which young hermit crabs are formed, which have settled to the bottom. The main task of juveniles is to quickly find a shelter-shell before they become food for aquatic predators.

Not everyone survives to the settlement stage. Many larvae die at the stage of maturation. In nature, the process of reproduction of crustaceans is year-round. In captivity, hermits do not bear offspring. The life span of a formed crustacean is 10-11 years.

The meaning of hermit crab

Voracious crustacean inhabitants are real orderlies of reservoirs. About the hermit crab, you can say that he is a real beach cleaner. The lifestyle of wonderful animals allows you to get rid of natural organic carrion.

The great importance of the hermit crab for the cleanliness of the aquarium is noted by the owners of large tanks. Red-blue varieties of crustaceans are especially remarkable in restoring sanitary order. Getting rid of cyanobacteria, detritus, and many harmful things in an artificial reservoir takes place naturally thanks to wonderful hermit crabs.

Cancer hermit. African hermit crab. I am glad to welcome you on the pages of the Aqua-As aquarist's blog. Today I would like to tell you about another amazing and useful in a marine aquarium. hermit crab Calcinus laevimanus, although more often it is called simply, African hermit crab. What is so wonderful about this type of hermits, let's figure it out together.

African hermit crab, general information.

This type of hermits, as well as other members of the genus Calcinus have eyes located on long brightly colored stalks, the second distinguishing feature of cancer is the left claw, which is much larger than the right one. The claws are painted dark blue and white; the body of the crayfish itself is dark blue. The African hermit crab does not grow large, like the blue-toed crab, but it is larger than, for example, the hermit clibanarius africanus. crayfish Calcinus live in the surf zone.

Hermit crab in a marine aquarium.

Hermits of this species are simply ideal for keeping in, and due to the fact that this is a small species of crayfish, it can be successfully kept even in small aquariums, that is, in. In addition to keeping the aquarium clean by feeding on lower algae, plucking them from live rocks and aquarium soil, the African crayfish also feeds on detritus very effectively.

At the same time, it does not damage corals; sometimes a loose coral fragment can push a crayfish, but this happens much less often than, for example, from the same blue-clawed crayfish that, moving around the aquarium, sweeps away everything in its path.

In the video, blue-fingered hermit crab.

In observation, this type of hermits is very interesting, they are active both at night and during the day. A crayfish recently placed in an aquarium is quickly mastered, it instantly navigates where in the aquarium you can profit from something and will clearly be in time where it is likely to get food. For example, I feed my fish twice a day in the morning at about 10 - 11 o'clock and in the evening at 7 - 8 o'clock the cancer knows this very well and at this time it sits in the place near the front glass where the brine shrimp, minced meat or dry food is carried by the current.

It seems to me that hermit crabs of this species should definitely be included in the team of cleaners, with their duties as an aquarium orderly, he copes one hundred percent. I have this cancer living with a hermit clibanarius africanus and a couple of snails, together they are very good at keeping the aquarium clean.

As the hermit grows, he needs to put shells of different sizes, although he does not grow as actively as the blue-fingered selection of shells should be present. By the way, the shells can be changed, the hermit can several times a day, you will see this in the video. Many hermits may kill snails in order to take possession of their shells. For the entire time the African hermit was kept, not even a hint of an attempted aggression towards snails was noticed. Perhaps the presence of a sufficient number of shells to choose from affects, or maybe the peculiar structure of the Tsiprey shell is not suitable for this cancer and is of little interest.

And in conclusion, although it is more difficult to acquire these crayfish than the same blue-fingered ones, but if you come across them on sale, you will definitely not regret it, but on the contrary, you will get a small useful and interesting inhabitant of the marine aquarium.

Videos hermit crab Calcinus laevimanus African.

And in this video, two hermit crabs fought over a piece of squid.

And the last very interesting video in which the hermit crab changes the sink to a new one.

That concludes my post on keeping this wonderful species of hermit crab in a marine aquarium.