The White-spotted Hermit Crab, also referred to as the Red Hermit Crab, has hairy red legs with black-edged white dots. It has unequal-sized claws (the left one is larger) which it will use to catch food. It lives inside empty gastropod shells.
The White-spotted Hermit Crab is not safe for a reef aquarium because it will eat tube worms, mollusks, and fish. It will also eat algae. In a community tank, however, it will keep the sand sifted with its constant search for food. It is best to keep just one specimen per tank, since it is aggressive towards other Hermit Crabs. As the Hermit Crab grows, it will need larger shells to inhabit. It is most active at night. It is a very hardy animal, and an interesting addition to an aquarium.
If there is insufficient algae, the diet should be supplemented with dried seaweed, tablet foods, and earthworms.
Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab - Dardanus megistos: Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab is a beautiful crab, easy to maintain and non-poisonous in nature. Its qualities make it popular among all the levels of aquarists and they all can try their hands on Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab. The article briefs you about the various aspects of Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab that may come handy vis-à-vis its maintenance in your marine aquarium.
Taxonomy: Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab belongs to the Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Arthropoda, Class Crustacea, Order Decapoda, Family Diogenidae, Genus Dardanus and Species megistos.
Scientific names: The scientific name of Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab is Dardanus megistos.
Other common names: Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab is also known as Red Hermit Crab, Scarlet Hermit Crab, Red Reef Hermit Crab, Bernard l’ermite and White Spotted Hermit Crab.
Origin or natural range: Dardanus megistos is found in the East Atlantic region, Indo-Pacific Ocean including Mauritius, Philippines and Solomon Islands.
Size: Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab may grow up to a size of eight inches.
Compatibility: Dardanus megistos is semi-aggressive towards the other members in your marine aquarium.
Habit & Habitat:
- Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab is found on shallow lagoons and bays.
- Dardanus megistos shares a symbiotic relationship with anemones by hiding in their stinging tentacles. This symbiosis protects Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab from its predators.
Morphology:
- Dardanus megistos is very hardy.
- The body of Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab is red in color with yellow colored eyestalks.
- The legs of Dardanus megistos are hairy and are red in color with white dots outlined in black color.
- The left claw of Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab is larger in size as compared to that of the right claw.
Growth enabling environment in your marine aquarium: Your marine aquarium must meet the following specifications to successfully host Hermit Crab – Assorted Crab in it:
- Temperature of water: Dardanus megistos requires the temperature of your marine aquarium to be maintained between seventy-two and seventy-eight degrees Fahrenheit.
- Specific gravity of water: Hermit Crab – Assorted Crab needs the specific gravity of water to range within 1.023 to 1.025.
- pH of water: The pH value of water in your marine aquarium should scale between 8.10 and 8.40 to the comfort of Dardanus megistos.
- Habit & habitat:
- To host Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab, your aquarium should be a community type marine aquarium instead of reef type aquarium.
- Your marine aquarium should have rocks and sand in it.
- In the search of food, Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab ploughs the sand well thereby improving the aeration of sand.
- Do not keep more than one species of Hermit Crab in your marine aquarium.
- Your reef tank should have many multiple sized shells so that Dardanus megistos may live in them and may change them according to its body size.
- Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab is nocturnal in habit and is therefore, active at night.
- Feeding & Nutrition: Dardanus megistos is Omnivorous in feeding habit and eats algae, detritus, mollusks, tube worms, fish and the meaty bits of seafood.
- If there are not sufficient algae in your marine aquarium then add dry seaweed and earth worms as dietary supplements for Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab.
Care: Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab is easy to maintain owing to its non-poisonous nature.
Caution:
- Dardanus megistos eats fish, small marine invertebrates, mollusks and tube worms therefore, do not keep the crab in a reef type marine aquarium.
- Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab is aggressive towards the other Hermit Crabs and therefore, it’s better if you keep one crab per aquarium.
