New opae - feeding / dawrd hermit crab

[Rhynno]

Hi everyone,

New to the forum. I've found some fantastic information on starting up and keeping these amazing creatures on here so a big, big thank you!!

My 40 opae arrived today and have put them into four large (4 to 8 litres) jar tanks with live sand and cycled added bacteria. I'll hold off on feeding for two weeks to let them settle then only feed a small amounts of spirulina or other foods BUT i've also got tiiiiny nerite snails in one (one big nerite in another) and two jars with a dwarf hermit crab each (not blue legged or left handed. Supposed to be endemic to the same area as the opaes. Suuuper small but crazy mobile and quick).

Should I feed earlier than a week or two in order to feed the crabs or hold off? The algae is just starting and I picked up some brackish live rocks that have algae on them to boot.

Thanks!!

Ryan

[Rhynno]

Looks like I found Mustafa's reply qerying hermits long term with opae if hermits need more food. Crap . I'm curious if people have had luck long term? These little guys are interesting and oddly cute so I'd truly hate for them to starve if I can avoid it

[Harry]

I have hermits in both my opae tanks and they are doing well. You need extra empty shells, which can be found online - Amazon and ebay. They like to switch to new shells. I will add a flake or two of fish food every week and the hermits go right after it. And they find algae too. Sometimes it looks like the hermit has died. But actually, they have molted and returned to their shell or to a new shell.

[Rhynno]

Thanks Harry! I'll try to get them food 1x a week or so for sure. The one hopped into too smqll of a shell and the other has since climbed out on some wet rocks :/. At least they're entertaining critters!

Thanks again,

Ryan

[Rhynno]

Sigh.... The one hermit dropped dead within 24 hrs and the second keeps climbing out of the water on the small outcropping of rocks. He's stil wet but just stays out there even after. I toss him back in :/. I can't seem to get the one corpse out of the jar. It just got stuck under the substrate :/. Oh well...

Bright side the opae seem happy ! Are mostly bright red except for one of the jars where they are super white :/. Gonna wait and see.