Scarlet Zebra Hermit Crab

Care at a glance

Overview

A hardy, mostly peaceful grazer that leaves corals and fish alone, so it is reef-safe, but it can be territorial toward its own kind and other hermits and, like most hermits, will kill snails and rival hermits for their shells if shells run short. Give it space and a good supply of empty shells. It is best kept sparingly rather than in large groups.

In the wild

Calcinus laevimanus is an Indo-Pacific hermit from reef flats and intertidal rock, ranging across the Indian Ocean, Indonesia, Australia, and the central and western Pacific. It lives on the rock and sand in a borrowed shell and needs an established tank with algae to graze plus a variety of empty shells to move into as it grows.

Good to know

This dwarf hermit has dark legs banded in white or orange, brilliant blue eyestalks that fade to orange, and an enlarged left claw, which is why it is also called the left-handed hermit crab. It grazes many algae types including red slime (cyanobacteria) and also picks at detritus and small meaty scraps. Reef references list an adult size up to roughly 3 cm.

Did you know

It is a left-handed hermit: the left claw is noticeably enlarged and doubles as a door, sealing the shell opening when the crab pulls inside.

Related species

• 

  Electric Blue Hermit Crab

  Calcinus elegans

  2 in (5 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Blue-Leg Hermit Crab

  Clibanarius tricolor

  1 in (2.5 cm)11 gal (40 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)
• Mexican Red-Leg Hermit Crab

  Clibanarius digueti

  1 in (2.5 cm)11 gal (40 L)72–81°F (22–27°C)

• 

  Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab

  Paguristes cadenati

  1.6 in (4 cm)11 gal (40 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Halloween Hermit Crab

  Ciliopagurus strigatus

  2 in (5 cm)20 gal (75 L)72–79°F (22–26°C)

• 

  Coral Guard Crab

  Trapezia cymodoce

  0.8 in (2 cm)11 gal (40 L)75–81°F (24–27°C)