TankBud

Halloween hermit crab

Ciliopagurus strigatus

Also known as Orange Hermit Crab, Cone Shell Hermit Crab, Orange Leg Hermit Crab

SaltwaterCrab

Halloween hermit crab (Ciliopagurus strigatus)
User:Haplochromis · CC BY 2.5

Care at a glance

Temperature
72–79°F
22–26°C
pH
8.1–8.4
Adult size
2 in
5 cm
Minimum tank
20 gal
75 L
Temperament
Peaceful
Social behavior
Solitary
Swim level
Bottom
Diet
Omnivore
Difficulty
Easy
Breeding
No record
Rarity
Common
Reef safe
Reef safe with caution
Family
Diogenidae
Origin
Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea and the Hawaiian Islands

Overview

The Halloween hermit crab is an efficient scavenger and one of the larger reef hermits kept in the hobby. It makes a good first hermit for a reef tank.

Did you know

The Halloween hermit crab's favored shells are the tall, narrow, cone-shaped shells that venomous cone snails leave behind. In the right shell, it walks around in what was once one of the ocean's more dangerous snails.

Caring for the Halloween hermit crab

Keep the Halloween hermit crab in an established reef of at least 20 gal (75 L), with algae growth to pick at. Leave enough open rock and substrate for it to roam. Secure the rockwork, and keep a good stock of empty shells in assorted sizes.

Hold the water at 72 to 79°F (22 to 26°C) with a pH of 8.1 to 8.4. It grazes green hair algae and cyanobacteria. It also cleans up detritus and leftover meaty food, which helps keep rock and substrate tidy.

It is peaceful toward fish and corals, but its larger size means it can accidentally topple small frags or loose rockwork while foraging. Like other hermit crabs, it will attack and evict a snail for its shell if no empty ones are available.

Good to know

Ciliopagurus strigatus is a hermit crab in the family Diogenidae. Bold orange and white banding across its legs and a deep red body give it its Halloween-themed common name. It usually lives in long, spindle-shaped shells, not the rounder ones smaller hermits prefer.

In the wild

The Halloween hermit crab ranges across the Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea and the Hawaiian Islands. It lives on shallow coral reef and sandy areas down to about 15 meters. It grazes rock and sand by day and night for algae and detritus, carrying a snail shell home as it forages.

Common questions

What size tank does a Halloween hermit crab need?

A Halloween hermit crab needs at least 20 gal (75 L). It spends most of its time in the bottom.

What temperature and pH does a Halloween hermit crab need?

A Halloween hermit crab is comfortable at 72–79°F (22–26°C) with a pH of 8.1–8.4.

What does a Halloween hermit crab eat?

A Halloween hermit crab grazes green hair algae and cyanobacteria, and it picks at algae growth on the rock. It also cleans up detritus and leftover meaty food.

How big does a Halloween hermit crab get?

An adult Halloween hermit crab reaches about 2 in (5 cm).

Related species