From the Ocean

[E Angel]

I am just getting started with my tank up, I have my LR and my cycle is almost finish. Yesterday, I came home and boyfriend took some hermit crabs from the ocean to put in the tank. Of course, I did not let him because I was afraid they might be carrying some kind of harmful bacteria. I put them in a large piece of tupperware, which I am making my quarantine tank, for the time being.

My questions: Is it safe to add the hermit crabs to my tank? If it is, how long do I need to leave them in the quarantine tank and do I need to add anything to help kill any diseases or harmful bacteria they might be carrying?

Thanks for any help
E Angel

 

[malkore]

First off, I think it may be illegal to collect wildlife like that.
Secondly, who knows what exact species of hermit crabs these are? They could eat corals, kill fish, or get huge.

I'm not sure what, if any, parasites crabs might carry. A more experienced SW keeper will chime in though, I'm sure.

 

[Tito2491]

If u dont have fish or corals in there it may harm put em in , first find out what specific hermit it is , is it large ?

 

[JPloman]

I think that the legal issues are all about where you are. I can take anything I want, unless I plan to sell it, from the gulf here in Panama City. They have no problem as long as it is going in your tank. However, if you are at the state park, you can not take anything... it makes no sense because who is to say I didnt tank it from the state park, then move out into another area of the beach?

On the hermits, I would not put them in my tank until I had a full id on what type they are. They could be harmful to your tank. The same goes for any and every type of animal you might take from the ocean. Let me gie you an example of one of my hard learned experiences:

While snorkling not too long ago I saw this pretty wrasse. I thought he would be cool in my tank, so we caught him. After finally putting him in the tank from the QT tank we found out that he was not reef safe. He ate everything in our tank that was a plant... Bye bye macro algae. He quickly went back to his ocean home.

We also had some snails that proved to eat entire fish when they were sleeping... it was really cool to watch them devour an entire fish at once, but it was not cool to see the fish die. Have you ever seen a snail wrap its whole body around a fish that is twice its size!?!?! I didnt know it was possible!