Red Leg Hermit Crab

Red leg hermit crabs are opportunistic omnivores that primarily graze on film algae, cyanobacteria, and detritus found on rocks, glass, and substrate. They should be supplemented with sinking herbivore pellets, dried seaweed sheets, or small pieces of frozen foods to ensure adequate nutrition, especially in tanks with low algae growth. Providing enough food prevents them from turning to corals or other invertebrates out of hunger.

Red leg hermit crabs are generally peaceful and spend the majority of their time actively scavenging the rockwork, substrate, and glass for algae and organic debris. They may occasionally evict snails from their shells to claim a new home, so providing an assortment of empty shells of varying sizes is essential to reduce aggression. Multiple individuals can be kept together and they rarely bother fish or corals under well-fed conditions.

Breeding red leg hermit crabs in captivity is extremely rare and considered impractical for home aquarists. Females release planktonic larvae into the water column that require specific conditions, phytoplankton, and zooplankton to survive through multiple larval stages. Successful rearing to adulthood has only been achieved in specialized research settings.