RobR Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Getting ready to add a clam to my tank and have been doing some reading about hermit crabs eating clams, I had tried to keep a clam before and lo and behold the hermits got to it, but was the clam unhealthy? Hard to tell. So I was hoping those that have kept clams could chime in with some advice, and your experience with or without hermits with your clams. Does the service the hermits provide from a clean up crew perspective outweigh any potential risks? Don't want a calm to be an expensive snack for the little buggers, so should I keep my hermits or give em the boot? Currently have a whole bunch of scarlet reef hermits, and blue leg hermits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I have hermits in my tank with a clam, and they leave it alone. Granted, I only have a few blue hermits and one Halloween in a 75g tank. So the competition for food between them is low. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I've got 3 clams in my 90g and probably 50+ hermits, one blue-leg that is now huge. They never bother the clams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JasonJones Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I have never had a problem keep clams and hermits together. I have only ever seen hermits mess with a clam when it is already on its way out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woods Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I have had a clam in my tank for 2 months now with many Blue Leg, Electric Blue, Scarlet, and Halloween hermits without any issues. I do NOT have any of the hermits that get larger! The clam is about 3-4 inches. I have never seen them even attempt to crawl on it or pinch it. I suspect yours were more attracted to an unhealthy clam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobR Posted January 24, 2012 Author Share Posted January 24, 2012 Thanks for all of the responses, it seems that the consensus is that if the clam is healthy the crabs should leave it alone. Just a little gun shy as the first clam I bought only lasted 3 days, and I woke up to my hermits devouring it's carcass Guess if I get that scared could remove the hermits to the sump while the clams get established and then move em back upsatirs later.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard L Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I have three clams - small derasa, small crocea and a large maxima. I have about 100 crabs - blue, red and scarlet leg hermits and emerald crabs. They are often on the clams' shells giving them a good cleaning but have never seen one touch their mantles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 Yeah, those crabs being on your previous one was probably becuase it was dying/dead. I have never had any trouble with my hermits messing with my clams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaJohn Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I had a clam the hermits were fine around it but I happened to be watching and saw my emerald crab reach for some nori that was floating around and his claw went into the clam well the clam shut and after a few min of the crab trying to get away it finally did minus one big claw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted January 24, 2012 Share Posted January 24, 2012 I had a clam the hermits were fine around it but I happened to be watching and saw my emerald crab reach for some nori that was floating around and his claw went into the clam well the clam shut and after a few min of the crab trying to get away it finally did minus one big claw. Neat. It is a hard world in the food chain on the reef. My Drawf Yellow Angel harrassed my clam until the clam clamped the fishes mouth shut. The fish escaped moments later, but it no longer bothers the clam. Who said that fish could not be trained. They learn and adapt on there on. To address the function of the hermits in the detrivore crew. I do not like them. The big ones will do damage up front. If you do not feed heavy, the small ones become cannabalistic. In all cases, the hermit crab is on a steay diet of benificial detrivores, starting with snails. I have gradually depleted most of my hermit crabs. There cleaning job replaced by serpant stars, micros stars and pods. Last but not least Emerald Crabs. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobR Posted January 24, 2012 Author Share Posted January 24, 2012 I had a clam the hermits were fine around it but I happened to be watching and saw my emerald crab reach for some nori that was floating around and his claw went into the clam well the clam shut and after a few min of the crab trying to get away it finally did minus one big claw. Wow, that is pretty Crazy.... Guess that crab learned its lesson. I had a clam the hermits were fine around it but I happened to be watching and saw my emerald crab reach for some nori that was floating around and his claw went into the clam well the clam shut and after a few min of the crab trying to get away it finally did minus one big claw. Neat. It is a hard world in the food chain on the reef. My Drawf Yellow Angel harrassed my clam until the clam clamped the fishes mouth shut. The fish escaped moments later, but it no longer bothers the clam. Who said that fish could not be trained. They learn and adapt on there on. To address the function of the hermits in the detrivore crew. I do not like them. The big ones will do damage up front. If you do not feed heavy, the small ones become cannabalistic. In all cases, the hermit crab is on a steay diet of benificial detrivores, starting with snails. I have gradually depleted most of my hermit crabs. There cleaning job replaced by serpant stars, micros stars and pods. Last but not least Emerald Crabs. Patrick Two in a row for clams teaching other animals lessons... Crazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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