yep....HATE hermits

I got some hermits with my last invert order. It was some time ago. Most are actually gone now as are my snails. I still think they eat the snails and then die of starvation. Well, now I'm down to just a couple of big ones. They went after my conch.....nice big shell ya know. And, I think they may have been after my sand sifting star too. His limbs look sad and one is a little short. They will be caught soon and brought in to the LFS if I'm feeling kind hearted. I'm thinking more along the lines of live burial!

Any experience with sand sifting stars? Will it recover? It's still moving around OK. Poor guy!

HD, I know you don't mind hermits. If you want 'em, you can have 'em.

I'm never getting them again!

ill take them!!!

sand sifting stars can regrow there limbs. You need to feed your tank heavily for the hermits to not get like that. It is starvation IMO that causes them to do that. I have seen them eat snails, that is no joke at a dollar a pop.

Yeah but I've have cleaner shrimp eat snails and hermits, everything's on the food chain. Sand sifter star is probably dying of starvation itself, most only live about year or less as some eat very particular things in your sandbed and other eat everything out of your sandbed. Bad tankcleaner either way. Large hermits can be a serious threat but the little ones are fine if you keep them fed.

OH...how sad. The star seemed so happy in our tank and my sandbed seems to be full of stuff for it to eat.

Reef Crzy - the hermits are yours. If I don't throw 'em out before the next meeting, I'll bring them with me for ya.

I think I do feed pretty heavily but usually only every other day. I guess Jason likes the hermits so we'll have to have further discussion about getting more little ones.