Clibanarius digueti
| Common Names: | Red Leg Hermit Red Leg Reef Hermit Equal Handed Hermit |
| Salinity: | Marine |
| Distribution: | Off the western coasts of Mexico, and very common in the Gulf of California. |
| Care: | These hermits are easy to care for. They are hardy and tolerate a wide range of water parameters. However, they cannot handle copper well. As with most invertebrates, even low levels of this me This hermit crab may attack snails or other hermits in order to steal the shells. For this reason it is important to provide a number of extra shells of various sizes, to allow for growth. This will prevent shell-related killings. Aside from mechanical damage to corals caused by wandering specimens crawling over the polyps, red leg hermits will typically not bother aquarium residents. |
| Feeding: | These hermits will feed on detritus, green algae, shed exoskeletons, and dead organic matter. They are also happy to eat any food the keeper chooses to add to their tank, live or frozen, flake or pellet. They are claimed to consume cyanobacteria and hair algae, though this may not be true. |
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| Potential Size: | Male: 2cm (0.8") Female: 2cm (0.8") |
| Comments: | These hermits crabs are often highly recommended as maintenance critters for marine aquariums, and can be bought as part of a "clean up crew" package. Large groups need plenty of extra shells to accommodate for growth. These are some of the most popular hermits in the marine aquarium trade. Since they are a "bread and butter" item and are collected in large numbers, prices are kept very low. Other species of hermits may be sold as "red legs", but C. digueti is by far the most common. |
| Image Credit: | sirbooks |
| Submitted By: | sirbooks |
| Contributors: | sirbooks |
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