Hermit Crab Battle Royal

[MKFMedic]

I have a 30 gal nano reef, which was an upgrade from a 12 gal nano. With the upgrade I added an additional 5 hermit crabs to go with the five I already had and it seems lately all they want to do is try to kill each other for their shells.

I'm used to seeing a couple at a time get tangled up, but quite literally, all eight visible hermit crabs this evening were all over each other fighting. I hate to see them fight, and like it even less when they try to kill one of my snails! I've tossed a few extra shells in the tank, but they don't seem interested which leads me to my next question. Are there other crabs that I can consider that won't spend their days trying to kill one another but do the same job as members of a clean up crew?

Thanks for any suggestions or ideas, it would be appreciated!

Mike

 

[Sniperhank]

Emerald Crab

Emerald Crab

 

[MKFMedic]

Thanks Sniper!

I have two emeralds in the tank now, and they are great. Do you think if I added a third, I could eventually ditch or through attrition, not replace the hermits and still be able to manage cleaning needs of a 30 gal. reef tank?

Best Regards,

Mike

 

[Sniperhank]

Depends on size

 

[Sharklover]

They could just be fighting over new territories in the bigger tank and trying to claim dominance