Crabzilla gone nuts!

"TheRock" wrote in message news:QCCBh.1304$_O1.963@trndny04...
I've seen my blue legged hermit crabs hacking into snail homes quite often.
Then after they eat them I see them wearing their shell.
You are right, some of the more healthy snails can close up until the crab
looses interest
but I've seen them wear the snail down.

Now I have enough abandon snail and crab shells in my
tank to support the next round of kids.

I don't care who eats who, just want them to keep up with the algae and
crud on the bottom. (or the occasional dead fish)

The whole discussion is exactly about who eats who... :-)

So it is important to notice if crabs eat dead/sick snails
or if they are able to catch/hunt down healthy snail...
In the meaning of a word "hunting" we are used to when
talking about, for example, eagle grabbing a rabbit...

For an eagle it does not relly matter if a rabbit is sick,
if it can see it, it will take it when hungry...
This behaviour I call hunting. With crabs/hermits the prey
animal has to be originaly very weak/sick or dead already
to became prey. That is why they are called "cleaning crew".

They do not decimate healthy population of snails, rather
pick the dead/sick ones as food. That is my working theory :-)
And current reports on the internet are not describing any
hunting behaviour, rather people see crabs eating dead meat
and ASSUME what must have happened before... :-)))

"Pszemol" wrote in message
...
"TheRock" wrote in message
news:QCCBh.1304$_O1.963@trndny04...
I've seen my blue legged hermit crabs hacking into snail homes quite
often.
Then after they eat them I see them wearing their shell.
You are right, some of the more healthy snails can close up until the
crab looses interest
but I've seen them wear the snail down.

Now I have enough abandon snail and crab shells in my
tank to support the next round of kids.

I don't care who eats who, just want them to keep up with the algae and
crud on the bottom. (or the occasional dead fish)

The whole discussion is exactly about who eats who... :-)

So it is important to notice if crabs eat dead/sick snails
or if they are able to catch/hunt down healthy snail...
In the meaning of a word "hunting" we are used to when
talking about, for example, eagle grabbing a rabbit...

For an eagle it does not relly matter if a rabbit is sick,
if it can see it, it will take it when hungry...
This behaviour I call hunting. With crabs/hermits the prey
animal has to be originaly very weak/sick or dead already
to became prey. That is why they are called "cleaning crew".

They do not decimate healthy population of snails, rather
pick the dead/sick ones as food. That is my working theory :-)
And current reports on the internet are not describing any
hunting behaviour, rather people see crabs eating dead meat
and ASSUME what must have happened before... :-)))

Agreed..
The ones we are talking about are not hunters.
Nor aggressive or large enough to be.

When I had a fish only tank 5 years ago (29 gal)
I had a large common hermit crab.
The one with the hairy legs...mean SOB
This guy I believe to be a hunter. He would go after everything.
My damsels used to whack him with their tails.
So to keep it REAL interesting I put 2 in the same tank.
I know, that was a dark time in my life : )

Oh the fights were incredible.

"TheRock" wrote in message news:0zEBh.1084$SR.896@trndny06...
The whole discussion is exactly about who eats who... :-)

So it is important to notice if crabs eat dead/sick snails
or if they are able to catch/hunt down healthy snail...
In the meaning of a word "hunting" we are used to when
talking about, for example, eagle grabbing a rabbit...

For an eagle it does not relly matter if a rabbit is sick,
if it can see it, it will take it when hungry...
This behaviour I call hunting. With crabs/hermits the prey
animal has to be originaly very weak/sick or dead already
to became prey. That is why they are called "cleaning crew".

They do not decimate healthy population of snails, rather
pick the dead/sick ones as food. That is my working theory :-)
And current reports on the internet are not describing any
hunting behaviour, rather people see crabs eating dead meat
and ASSUME what must have happened before... :-)))

Agreed..
The ones we are talking about are not hunters.
Nor aggressive or large enough to be.

They are probably hunters in the regular meaning, but they
regular prey are worms, crustaceans - anything very small
they could grab with one reach of a claw. Dead/sick snail
is an opportunity they do not pass, but they usually do
not waste their life energy to hunt larger healthy animals.
At least this is my observation in my tanks, with dozens
if not hundreds of several different hermits and crabs.

When I had a fish only tank 5 years ago (29 gal)
I had a large common hermit crab.
The one with the hairy legs...mean SOB
This guy I believe to be a hunter. He would go after everything.
My damsels used to whack him with their tails.
So to keep it REAL interesting I put 2 in the same tank.
I know, that was a dark time in my life : )

Oh the fights were incredible.

Did they really hurt each other (broken limbs, etc.)
or just wrestle to establish who is The Leader in the tank? ;-)

"Pszemol" wrote in message
...
"TheRock" wrote in message
news:0zEBh.1084$SR.896@trndny06...
The whole discussion is exactly about who eats who... :-)

So it is important to notice if crabs eat dead/sick snails
or if they are able to catch/hunt down healthy snail...
In the meaning of a word "hunting" we are used to when
talking about, for example, eagle grabbing a rabbit...

For an eagle it does not relly matter if a rabbit is sick,
if it can see it, it will take it when hungry...
This behaviour I call hunting. With crabs/hermits the prey
animal has to be originaly very weak/sick or dead already
to became prey. That is why they are called "cleaning crew".

They do not decimate healthy population of snails, rather
pick the dead/sick ones as food. That is my working theory :-)
And current reports on the internet are not describing any
hunting behaviour, rather people see crabs eating dead meat
and ASSUME what must have happened before... :-)))

Agreed..
The ones we are talking about are not hunters.
Nor aggressive or large enough to be.

They are probably hunters in the regular meaning, but they
regular prey are worms, crustaceans - anything very small
they could grab with one reach of a claw. Dead/sick snail
is an opportunity they do not pass, but they usually do
not waste their life energy to hunt larger healthy animals.
At least this is my observation in my tanks, with dozens
if not hundreds of several different hermits and crabs.

When I had a fish only tank 5 years ago (29 gal)
I had a large common hermit crab.
The one with the hairy legs...mean SOB
This guy I believe to be a hunter. He would go after everything.
My damsels used to whack him with their tails.
So to keep it REAL interesting I put 2 in the same tank.
I know, that was a dark time in my life : )

Oh the fights were incredible.

Did they really hurt each other (broken limbs, etc.)
or just wrestle to establish who is The Leader in the tank? ;-)

Oh hell no, they ended up fighting to the death !
They would start at either end of the tank banging their shells against the
glass, like a dance.
Then they would walk over to each other and start pinching and pulling, it
was a pretty even match
for a few months. They would fight, retreat and repeat.
I came home one day and the one crab was sitting at the top of a rock
completely out of it's shell. Shortly after the other crab whacked him.
Nasty SOB's. Both were 2+ inches with lots of hair and girth.

I'll tell you what, these crabs can keep a tank spotless.
Ferocious appetite, better than the reef safe crabs.
Another DeathCo...I mean Petco purchase.

"TheRock" wrote in message news:FsHBh.1812$lG6.307@trndny08...
Another DeathCo...I mean Petco purchase.

You must like this store a lot if you purchase so much from them ... ;-)

"Pszemol" wrote in message
...
"TheRock" wrote in message
news:FsHBh.1812$lG6.307@trndny08...
Another DeathCo...I mean Petco purchase.

You must like this store a lot if you purchase so much from them ... ;-)

They have some great deals, sometimes....I'm there for my Golden Retriever
and they suck me in !!!

The last deal I got there was some Macro Algae.
$8 for 4 very large fist full's. Red Garcinia algae

"TheRock" wrote in message newsJKBh.475$aM.350@trndny03...
They have some great deals, sometimes....
I'm there for my Golden Retriever and they suck me in !!!

The last deal I got there was some Macro Algae.
$8 for 4 very large fist full's. Red Garcinia algae

I wish Petco in Illinois, in my area would stock sal****er stuff.

I don't know about crabs catching fish, but I've seen them fighting each
other. They grab each other the whole day and then I would find the pieces
of one laying on the sand. I'm talking about red leg hermits. I guess
there is always one bully in the group. Most of them are very peaceful.


Now, if you talk about my coral banded shrimp, he chase my fish, even try
to get them with his claws, sometimes with some success. Still, I haven't
seen any fatalities.

My most violent and vicious fish WERE a pseudocromis and a 3 line damsell.

Now, I'm threat free,....I think....maybe the bristle worms...nah....

Ruben


"Pszemol" wrote in message
...
"Tristan" wrote in message
...
I still do not buy the crab did not do it. That crab grabbed
that fish, bad vision or not, dead fish smell or not, it seen an
opportunity in my eyes and took it. ;-))

Judge:
"Have you witnessed defendant killing this fish or you have not ?" :-)))

"RubenD" wrote in message . net...
I don't know about crabs catching fish, but I've seen them fighting each
other. They grab each other the whole day and then I would find the pieces
of one laying on the sand. I'm talking about red leg hermits. I guess
there is always one bully in the group. Most of them are very peaceful.

Red leg hermits called "scarlet hermits"? The small ones?
I have 4 of them and I do not see any interesting fights...

Maybe you observed mating behavior just after crab molting?
And that would be the reason for pieces of old red skeleton laying
on the substrate. Crabs/shrimps mate just after molting because
they need soft bodies for the mating act, so the molting gives
a perfect opportunity for mating.

Now, if you talk about my coral banded shrimp, he chase my fish, even try
to get them with his claws, sometimes with some success. Still, I haven't
seen any fatalities.

I have never had this kind of shrimp.
It was always too scray-looking for me to add it to my tank :-)