Electric Blue Hermit Crab - Calcinus elegans
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Details
The Electric Blue Hermit Crab (Calcinus elegans) has alternating electric blue and black bands down each leg. Their eye stalks are blue as well, and their antennae and mouth parts are orange. This is a medium-sized hermit crab and is more of a predator and scavenger than other primarily algae-eating smaller hermit crabs. A color variation from Hawaii is orange and black instead of blue and black and is known as the Halloween Hermit Crab.
Most hermit crabs are scavengers. Some smaller hermit crabs will feed on algae like nuisance hair algae while larger hermit crabs are scavengers and carnivores. Most hermit crabs are opportunistic - they will not actively hunt for a fish or active invertebrates but will prey on sick, dead, or dying individuals. Only the larger hermits like those from the genuses Aniculus, Dardanus, Peguristes, and Petrochirus are a real threat to healthy, larger tankmates or to corals. Calcinus, Clibanarius, and Paguristes are some of the most common "clean-up crew" hermit crabs for algae control and to eat leftover foods and detritus. Hermit crabs that are underfed are also a greater threat to tankmates like snails and other invertebrates.
Hermit Crabs have soft abdomens and use empty snail shells to protect their bodies. As with other crustaceans, hermit crabs must molt to grow. When they molt, they crawl out of their shell homes and shed their own hard shell to grow larger. As they grow larger, they need to find new, larger shells in which to live. Provide extra larger shells in the aquarium for the hermit crabs to move into. Hermit crabs without homes may sometimes make their own by killing the snail inside, or they may molt before they have a new shell, leaving them extremely vulnerable to predators.
Crustaceans benefit from iodine and mineral supplements to help form a healthy, hard exoskeleton. Regular water changes with high quality salt mixes usually provide enough, but extra supplements may be needed in reef tanks or in tanks with heavy invertebrates loads that use up iodine and other minerals rapidly. If water changes with new, fresh saltwater are not done regularly, the minerals also get depleted and nitrates accumulate and can also be detrimental to crustaceans and other invertebrates.
Specifications
Specifications | |
MPN | F93 0045 0133 |
Manufacturer | That Fish Place |
Common Name | Electric Blue Hermit Crab |
Scientific Name | Calcinus elegans |
Origin | Indo-Pacific |
Reef Safe | Yes, with caution |
Invert Safe | Yes, with caution |
Community Safe | Yes, with caution |
Difficulty | Easy |
Max Size (in inches) | 2 (excl. shell) |
Min Tank Size (in gallons) | 30 |
pH Range | 8.0-8.4 |
Temperature Range | 75-82 |
Specific Gravity Range | 1.022-1.026 |
Diet | Omnivore, Scavenger |
Internal Id | 13151 |
State Restrictions |
Alaska |
Armed Forces Americas |
Armed Forces Europe |
Armed Forces Pacific |
California |
Hawaii |
Puerto Rico |
Instructions
Ratings & Reviews
2 reviews
Awesome
by Wes feick
Good scavenger and non aggresive and very colorful. Awesome crab and worth its price...
good shell
by steven
why is the genus called calcinus