Keeping Blue Leg Hermit Crab with shrimp

[cf21]

Has anyone here kept hermit crabs with their shrimps? These hermit crabs stay relatively small (~1 inch) and supposed to be able to adapt to brackish water. What would be a good size for a single crab & would it still need a filter?

[dherrington1]

I've had the same thought, add something to mix it up. My only concern, regardless of size of the crab is that they'll target the shrimp as snacks.

[Vorteil]

How is your tank set up? No filter? What are you going to feed it?

[cf21]

Probably will upgrade to 1 or 2 gal if I'm going to keep both, still filterless. Will feed sinking bottom feeder pellet or spirulina tablet. But not sure how well it will adapt to lower salinity.

[Mustafa]

I wouldn't do it if you want your shrimp to thrive. Different feeding regime (hermits need a lot more food).

[robokirk]

I wouldn't do it if you want your shrimp to thrive. Different feeding regime (hermits need a lot more food).

I have had some interest in creating a small invertebrate tank that is mostly self sufficient. I know our shrimp are the best but are there any marine species that come close IE minimal water changes feeding etc?

[Mustafa]

Marine species are used to being in a giant ocean where the water is mostly clean and stable and food is relatively readily available. The reason why our shrimp can live in tiny containers for years without much food and not die for all kinds of reasons (starvation being just one of them) is because they evolved to be like that in their natural environments under ground and under non-stable water parameters. These shrimp are very special. It was hard enough to find a snail species (the brackish water snails) that can coexist with them.

Trust me, if I ever discovered species like our Supershrimp, I would be all over them.