Hermit Crab with Anemone (Pagurus Sp)

Also Known As: Anemone Hermit Crab, Decorator Hermit

Compatibility and Behavior
This one's a two-for-one: a hermit crab that has struck up a partnership with a hitchhiking anemone, so you get the crab's usual bustle plus a set of waving tentacles riding along on top of the shell. It's a genuinely neat bit of natural symbiosis to watch play out in the tank, the anemone swaying in the current as the crab trundles across rock and sand. Underneath sits a robust, hairy-bodied hermit of about 1.5 to 3 inches. It's peaceful toward fish but earns a reef safe with caution label on two counts: like any hermit it scavenges opportunistically and can knock over unsecured frags as it navigates, and its anemone carries a mild sting. That built-in defense tends to make the crab a bit bolder around curious tankmates, and a small or slow fish resting too close could occasionally get brushed, so it's best paired with sturdy tankmates that won't mind a little bumping.

Aquarium Requirements
The wrinkle that sets this hermit apart from an ordinary cleanup-crew crab is that you're keeping two animals at once, so conditions need to suit both the crab and its anemone: stable parameters, strong filtration, and moderate flow to keep the anemone fed and healthy. Beyond that it's standard hermit care. A single 1.5 to 3 inch individual is happy across a wide range of tank sizes with live rock, open sand, and secure rockwork it can climb without bringing the structure down. Do the two things every hermit keeper should: anchor your frags and rockwork so its constant exploring doesn't topple anything, and keep a selection of appropriately sized empty shells on hand so it can trade up as it grows. Regular meaty foods like chopped seafood, frozen blends, or sinking pellets, with the occasional algae-based offering, keep both partners well fed and the crab less interested in your corals.

Specifications

Approximate Size: 1.5–3"

Diet: Omnivorous scavenger; leftover food, detritus, film algae, and small meaty items

Origin: Indo-Pacific

Care Level: Moderate

Reef Safe: With caution

Temperament: Semi-peaceful

Minimum Tank Size: (not specified in draft, please confirm)

Special Considerations: Keeping the attached anemone healthy requires stable conditions and adequate feeding; may topple unsecured frags while exploring, and its anemone's mild sting can bother nearby corals or small fish resting too close; provide a range of empty shells for upgrading, and keep singly or in small numbers with sturdy tankmates