Can someone tell me what this is growing in my hermit

nightmarepl · Aug 29, 2018

Hey guys so i noticed one of my hermits has something growing on his side inside his shell it usually hides but i got it to come this took some pictures i was thinking it’s some type of feather duster maybe?

If so i kind want to keep it how to extract it lol or will it come out on its own

Flippers4pups · Aug 29, 2018

I believe it's part of it's head.

DSC reef · Aug 29, 2018

To the left it looks like coralline algae and a tube worm/feather duster

starypotter · Aug 29, 2018

+1

DSC reef said:
To the left it looks like coralline algae and a tube worm/feather duster

I agree with you, I think it's a feather duster looking thing. I can't offer more help with that.
Off topic, but does your hermit also refuse to wear anything but a conch shell? I have one as well and he's in a shell twice the right size because he upgraded from the last conch shell to the only other one in the tank despite there being a dozen other ones the proper size.

Flippers4pups · Aug 29, 2018

I see it now. Yes.

nightmarepl · Aug 29, 2018

starypotter said:
+1

I agree with you, I think it's a feather duster looking thing. I can't offer more help with that.
Off topic, but does your hermit also refuse to wear anything but a conch shell? I have one as well and he's in a shell twice the right size because he upgraded from the last conch shell to the only other one in the tank despite there being a dozen other ones the proper size.

Yah i got some bigger shells from turbos he doesn’t it gotta find conch sells st my lfs

nightmarepl · Aug 29, 2018

DSC reef said:
To the left it looks like coralline algae and a tube worm/feather duster

Yah that’s what i thought aswell any way to get him out of there

DSC reef · Aug 29, 2018

Luke iskra said:
Yah that’s what i thought aswell any way to get him out of there

It wont hurt the hermit but you can simply break it off.

nightmarepl · Aug 29, 2018

DSC reef said:
It wont hurt the hermit but you can simply break it off.

Think if i leave it alone it’ll grow out or get into my tank and grow on its own? Also thag algae will spread into my tank hopefully?

DSC reef · Aug 29, 2018

Yes, coralline will spread.

nightmarepl · Aug 29, 2018

DSC reef said:
Yes, coralline will spread.

Sweet thag stuff looks good huh? A lot of people told me they want to harvest it

starypotter · Aug 29, 2018

Luke iskra said:
Yah i got some bigger shells from turbos he doesn’t it gotta find conch sells st my lfs

Same here, the one he came in was barely an inch and a half, now he's in one that's easily 3 inches. The little jerk keeps giving me a heart attack with his molts! He's my only remaining big hermit and this morning there was a nice full skin on the ground, it even looked a bit meaty. Looked in the shell and didn't see anything, put it back in the last resting place and a few hours later I went back and there he was poking out!

SandJ · Aug 29, 2018

Luke iskra said:
Yah i got some bigger shells from turbos he doesn’t it gotta find conch sells st my lfs

I think Halloween Hermits like cone snail shells (flat, narrow opening). I have dozens (maybe hundreds) of these shells (still at our old house). Happy to ship some out for shipping costs if anyone needs some (will have to wait until I go back up to our other house though).

nightmarepl · Aug 29, 2018

starypotter said:
Same here, the one he came in was barely an inch and a half, now he's in one that's easily 3 inches. The little jerk keeps giving me a heart attack with his molts! He's my only remaining big hermit and this morning there was a nice full skin on the ground, it even looked a bit meaty. Looked in the shell and didn't see anything, put it back in the last resting place and a few hours later I went back and there he was poking out!

Haha that little bugger mine down that all the time i got two Halloween crabs 2 blue legs 2 red legs and a reddish emerald crab which is awesome

starypotter · Aug 29, 2018

Luke iskra said:
Haha that little bugger mine down that all the time i got two Halloween crabs 2 blue legs 2 red legs and a reddish emerald crab which is awesome

This is the second time he's done that! I got 2 halloween from a LFS I'll never go back to. One left his shell right away, attacked a snail, got slimed up and died shortly after even with me trying to baste it off of him. They replaced the one that died with another one, just an 'ordinary' one don't remember what that was, but it died in a day or two as well. This little guy is the only one that made it! I had another hermit crab, don't know the kind, caught it off the coast of NJ, he was doing great, always switching shells, but then my killer crab killed him. Crab is now in sump prison. How do you like your red legs?

starypotter · Aug 29, 2018

SandJ said:
I think Halloween Hermits like cone snail shells (flat, narrow opening). I have dozens (maybe hundreds) of these shells (still at our old house). Happy to ship some out for shipping costs if anyone needs some (will have to wait until I go back up to our other house though).

I'll keep that in mind if LFS doesn't have any when I go tomorrow! I just got a conch about the size this halloween is in, he's in QT right now but I don't want the very occupied conch to be the only other 'available' shell. What area are you from?

nightmarepl · Aug 29, 2018

starypotter said:
This is the second time he's done that! I got 2 halloween from a LFS I'll never go back to. One left his shell right away, attacked a snail, got slimed up and died shortly after even with me trying to baste it off of him. They replaced the one that died with another one, just an 'ordinary' one don't remember what that was, but it died in a day or two as well. This little guy is the only one that made it! I had another hermit crab, don't know the kind, caught it off the coast of NJ, he was doing great, always switching shells, but then my killer crab killed him. Crab is now in sump prison. How do you like your red legs?

Haha really I’ve bought mine about 8 months ago got them pretty much all at once dropped into my tank pretty much during cycle period and have been thriving ever since they tend to mess with my corals from time to but nothing major

starypotter · Aug 29, 2018

Luke iskra said:
Haha really I’ve bought mine about 8 months ago got them pretty much all at once dropped into my tank pretty much during cycle period and have been thriving ever since they tend to mess with my corals from time to but nothing major

Oh gosh haha that's great, my halloween, his name is Halloweenie btw, was my first livestock purchase! Him and a handful of snails that are still with me too I think? Sifting sort so I don't see them much.