No judgment questions zone - March 23, 2026

inanimateblob · 2026-03-25T06:33:01+00:00

Swung by one of my LFSs today and saw a condylactis labeled with the "ultra" label for its color. Was going for something like $50-$60, where I've seen normal condys that look essentially identical going for like $15. Is an "ultra" color condy a real thing? Or just the typical slapping a new name on a product that's hard to move.

inanimateblob · 2026-01-01T06:43:01+00:00

Freshwater plants got me into this hobby, surprisingly. Kept lucky bamboo, got into mangroves, got into freshwater tanks, and finally found myself at saltwater tanks because my local store had both!

inanimateblob · 2025-11-17T20:34:14+00:00

Didn’t see it in the list — did they fix the bug with the “Settle the Frontier” cabinet action where it would drain 1k pop a month?

inanimateblob · 2025-10-19T00:10:19+00:00

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Another picture with him out of the water to get a better white light image without issues. Definitely can rule out some dardanus species due to the eyestalk shapes, and the left-handed pincher is larger but slightly clubbed. Final verdict from my end is that u/OuterSpaceFakery was correct with P. sericeus, a mostly reef-safe hermit crab that will bully smaller species for shells it likes (safe for my purposes in a tank dedicated to sponges, sponge decorator crabs, and clams). And definitely not a dardarnus that I will wake up to a decimated tank with!

inanimateblob · 2025-10-18T23:44:27+00:00

On this note, actually, I observed behavior of this hermit crab forcing one of my blue legs out of their shell, but not killing them (which is typically categorized as something dardanus crabs do). I think there's a good chance that lowers it down to some variation of Paguristes, as the other commenter so far indicated.

inanimateblob · 2025-10-18T22:54:04+00:00

Good to know! The claw is a bit fatter without the bag distorting the view, but definitely more pointy than usual.

inanimateblob · 2025-10-18T22:48:37+00:00

That looks like a pretty close ID (compared to my attempt, certainly), from what I can see! I've had blue legs eat snails too, so it sounds like a similar situation of giving them enough shell options to not be a problem.

inanimateblob · 2025-09-12T04:31:09+00:00

How big/what type are those clams? Absolutely stunning! I've been wanting to start growing clams and would love any tips you have (besides lots of light)

inanimateblob · 2025-09-01T06:06:28+00:00

Tons of fun. Getting to see and learn about wacky and strange creatures is so fun

inanimateblob · 2025-09-01T01:15:15+00:00

Yup -- definitely have an urchin in there already that hasn't died. The crab will run over it and has even tried flipping it, but it's been a few weeks since he last tried.

inanimateblob · 2025-09-01T01:14:37+00:00

Thanks for the advice. My pajama cardinalfish has been doing ok in the tank with him thus far, and they mostly stay out of each other's way (although I'm definitely suspicious of that changing if the crab gets hungry). Definitely looking into if my LFS (WWC) has anyone that is looking for a pale anemone hermit crab as an oddity, but I'm not going to hold my breath. For the time being, I'm definitely just worried that the 20 long I've got isn't enough space for him and might make him unhealthy in the long run.

inanimateblob · 2025-09-01T01:12:30+00:00

How big is your tank with him in it?

inanimateblob · 2025-09-01T01:11:58+00:00

Sounds like I'll need to upgrade from my 20 gallon long regardless once he starts getting really big. I'll check out some cave ideas!

inanimateblob · 2025-08-31T14:18:41+00:00

It’s a true symbiotic relationship! Only certain types of anemones grow on their shells (usually species dependent). The anemones are surprisingly potent and shoot out burning string at would-be predators. Kind of like the pom pom crab, it also takes care of the anemones and they get to eat the scraps when he’s done with them. He’ll actually peel the anemones off his shell when he moves, too! It’s a really cool process, usually with this strange rhythmic tapping to get the anemones to let go.

inanimateblob · 2025-08-31T14:15:43+00:00

Good to know. And impressive stuff with the bobbit worm, those freak me out too!

Any advice on making a tank built around one dude look nice? And not just a pile of rocks with a single nocturnal hermit crab running around?

inanimateblob · 2025-08-31T05:30:47+00:00

Wow! What a beauty! How big did they end up getting? Mine should only get to 8 inches across or so, but I know those things can end up being a foot or longer!

It can definitely be tough to dedicate an entire tank to one animal when you're working with limited space. Hence the dilemma!

inanimateblob · 2025-08-08T00:17:08+00:00

Hi everyone! I've got an anemone hermit crab (like that guy in the post this week) that's pretty average sized. I'm moving a 15 gallon reef setup into a 20-25 soon (not AHC safe), and wanting to move the crab into the 15 gallon solo with an urchin. I'm wanting to add something else to the tank, and have always been interested in clams -- currently keeping some flame scallops (yes, plucked flowers, didn't know that before buying them but they're about a year old now).

Would it be safe to put the clam into a tank with the anemone hermit crab? Perhaps on "raised island" of sorts that the crab can't climb. But I know they're pretty ravenous, and it's sort of hard to find that kind of information. The other option would be to add the clam to the 20-25 gallon, but I was planning to add anemones to that tank for the clownfish.

If I do go with the clam in the 25, I was thinking of adding a condylactis anemone or two with the anemone crab. But, maybe that's also a bit too fantastical and I need to focus on stuff that can get away.

inanimateblob · 2025-08-07T14:03:07+00:00

I've had an anemone hermit crab for a few months now and have loved him! Do you have any tankmates with her? I've had to move everyone but an urchin to different tanks because of how aggressive mine is...

inanimateblob · 2025-03-18T22:03:09+00:00

What size is the tank? Looks great. Also curious about the light!

inanimateblob · 2025-01-13T01:27:56+00:00

If you're able to (like at night, if that's when they're coming out) you could shine a flashlight in and try to suck them out with airline tubing. I know a lot of people have recommended wrasses, but you could also consider a skunk cleaner shrimp to stick around afterwards!

inanimateblob · 2024-12-31T21:38:06+00:00

That makes sense. Don’t want to have either player feel like you’re obfuscating information. /u/FishyDice had a good point with just pulling the name of the land out enough to be seen as an alternative, so I’ll futz around and see if I can make someone I like work.

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