Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab - Dardanus megistos - Red Hermit

Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab - Dardanus megistos: Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab is a beautiful crab, easy to maintain and non-poisonous in nature. Its qualities make it popular among all the levels of aquarists and they all can try their hands on Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab. The article briefs you about the various aspects of Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab that may come handy vis-ŕ-vis its maintenance in your marine aquarium.

Taxonomy: Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab belongs to the Kingdom Animalia, Phylum Arthropoda, Class Crustacea, Order Decapoda, Family Diogenidae, Genus Dardanus and Species megistos.

Scientific names: The scientific name of Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab is Dardanus megistos.

Other common names: Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab is also known as Red Hermit Crab, Scarlet Hermit Crab, Red Reef Hermit Crab, Bernard l’ermite and White Spotted Hermit Crab.

Origin or natural range: Dardanus megistos is found in the East Atlantic region, Indo-Pacific Ocean including Mauritius, Philippines and Solomon Islands.

Size: Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab may grow up to a size of eight inches.

Compatibility: Dardanus megistos is semi-aggressive towards the other members in your marine aquarium.

Habit & Habitat:

• Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab is found on shallow lagoons and bays.
• Dardanus megistos shares a symbiotic relationship with anemones by hiding in their stinging tentacles. This symbiosis protects Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab from its predators.

Morphology:

• Dardanus megistos is very hardy.
• The body of Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab is red in color with yellow colored eyestalks.
• The legs of Dardanus megistos are hairy and are red in color with white dots outlined in black color.
• The left claw of Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab is larger in size as compared to that of the right claw.

Growth enabling environment in your marine aquarium: Your marine aquarium must meet the following specifications to successfully host Hermit Crab – Assorted Crab in it:

• Temperature of water: Dardanus megistos requires the temperature of your marine aquarium to be maintained between seventy-two and seventy-eight degrees Fahrenheit.
• Specific gravity of water: Hermit Crab – Assorted Crab needs the specific gravity of water to range within 1.023 to 1.025.
• pH of water: The pH value of water in your marine aquarium should scale between 8.10 and 8.40 to the comfort of Dardanus megistos.
• Habit & habitat:
• To host Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab, your aquarium should be a community type marine aquarium instead of reef type aquarium.
• Your marine aquarium should have rocks and sand in it.
• In the search of food, Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab ploughs the sand well thereby improving the aeration of sand.
• Do not keep more than one species of Hermit Crab in your marine aquarium.
• Your reef tank should have many multiple sized shells so that Dardanus megistos may live in them and may change them according to its body size.
• Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab is nocturnal in habit and is therefore, active at night.
• Feeding & Nutrition: Dardanus megistos is Omnivorous in feeding habit and eats algae, detritus, mollusks, tube worms, fish and the meaty bits of seafood.
• If there are not sufficient algae in your marine aquarium then add dry seaweed and earth worms as dietary supplements for Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab.

Care: Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab is easy to maintain owing to its non-poisonous nature.

Caution:

• Dardanus megistos eats fish, small marine invertebrates, mollusks and tube worms therefore, do not keep the crab in a reef type marine aquarium.
• Hermit Crab - Assorted Crab is aggressive towards the other Hermit Crabs and therefore, it’s better if you keep one crab per aquarium.

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