ReefPicker
← Livestock checker
Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab
Hermit crab

Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab

Paguristes cadenati

A Caribbean reef scavenger widely marketed as the "safe" hermit crab, but that reputation only half holds — it will attack live snails for a bigger shell just like its cousins, so a stash of empty shells of graduated sizes is essential. It leaves coral tissue alone and is an efficient detritus, film- and hair-algae and cyanobacteria grazer.

Temperament
Peaceful
Max size
1.5"
Min tank
10 gal
Reef-safe
Reef safe
Diet
Omnivore
Zone
Sand bed, Rockwork
Usually kept in numbers — scale the crew to the tank, not to the shopping list.
Something look wrong? Report an error

Tankmates

How Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab gets on with the rest of the reef, checked pair by pair by the same engine as the live pre-flight.

Best kept apart

A real clash — aggression, predation or a same-genus fight.

Leopard WrasseLeopard Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab is on the menu.Melanurus WrasseMelanurus Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab is on the menu.Yellow Coris WrasseYellow Coris Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab is on the menu.Coral HawkfishCoral Hawkfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab is on the menu.Red Coris WrasseRed Coris Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab is on the menu.Christmas WrasseChristmas Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab is on the menu.Antennata LionfishAntennata Lionfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab is on the menu.Picasso TriggerfishPicasso Triggerfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab is on the menu.Queen AngelfishQueen Angelfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab is on the menu.Raccoon ButterflyfishRaccoon Butterflyfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab is on the menu.Pearlscale ButterflyfishPearlscale Butterflyfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab is on the menu.Ornate Leopard WrasseOrnate Leopard Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab is on the menu.Dragon WrasseDragon Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab is on the menu.Divided Leopard WrasseDivided Leopard Wrasse hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab is on the menu.Valentini PufferValentini Puffer hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab is on the menu.Volitans LionfishVolitans Lionfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab is on the menu.Zebra Dwarf LionfishZebra Dwarf Lionfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab is on the menu.Fuzzy Dwarf LionfishFuzzy Dwarf Lionfish hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab is on the menu.Snowflake MoraySnowflake Moray hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab is on the menu.Zebra MorayZebra Moray hunts small cleanup-crew inverts — your Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab is on the menu.