Latin name | Paguristes cadenati |
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Local name | Scarlet hermit crab |
Family | Paguroidea - Paguristes |
Origin | The Mexican Golf |
Max length | 4 cm (1.6") |
Minimum volume | 50 l (13 gal) |
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Hardiness | Hardy |
Suitable for aquarium | Suitable for most aquarium |
Reef safe | Always reef safe |
Aggressiveness | Mostly peaceful but might be aggressive towards similar species |
Recommended |
Macroalgea (Eg. seaweed / nori) Microalgea (Eg. spirulina) |
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Mostly |
Detritus Small crustaceans (Krill, mysis, artemia...) |
A good many of these hermit crabs can exist in the same aquarium, but they will kill each other without insufficient space and/or food.
Count therefore on about 40 gal (150 liters) each, if one desires several in one tank.
Hermit crabs can be lots of fun, but are not particularly useful in the tank.
They are generally easy to keep, but not all species are algae eaters, some eat mostly zooplankton off the rocks.
Remember that they require new shells to grow.
James W. Fatherree. 2010. Aquarium Invertebrates: Crabs in the Marine Aquarium - Advanced Aquarist - (English)
Ronald L. Shimek. 2004. Marine Invertebrates (PocketExpert Guide) - TFH Publications / Microcosm Ltd. - (English)
Bob Fenner. Crabs For Marine Aquariums? Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 - Wet Web Media - (English)
Minimum volume
"Minimum volume" indicates the size of the tank needed to house this species under optimal conditions.
This is based on a medium size animal, which you want to keep for several years.
It might be possible to keep smaller specimens for a limited period in a smaller tank. A larger tank might be needed for fully-grown specimens.
Hardiness
"Hardiness" indicates how resistant this species is to disease and how well i tolerates bad conditions in general.
Some species doesn't handle transportation very well, but that doesn't mean that the species isn't hardy under the right conditions.
Suitable for aquarium
In this case, a "normal" aquarium is a reef aquarium with mixed corals or a fish only aquarium with an approximately salinity of 1.026 (sg) and a temperature close to 26°C.
Species requiring more than a 4000-liter tank are considered not suitable for home aquarium.
Special aquariums may cover tanks with low salinity, sub-tropical temperature, deep sand bed, sea grass etc.
Reef safe
Always reef safe: No sources indicate that this species will harm corals or other invertebrates.
Often reef safe: Only a few aquarists has reported problems keeping this species with corals and other invertebrates.
Reef safe with caution: This species may be a threat to some types of invertebrates.
Reef safe with luck: Most specimens will harm corals and/or other invertebrates, but you might be lucky.
Not reef safe: This species is a threat to most corals and/or other invertebrates.