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Why a Reef Tank Needs Long Legged Salt Water Hermit Crabs
Well one of the first things you should consider are long legged salt water hermit crabs.
Why? Well, not only do they provide color and variety to your tank, they are also reasonably inexpensive to buy and easy to feed.
There are however more to these little critters than meets the eye.
So with this in mind, here are some reasons why a sea going hermie pet is an absolute must for your reef tank.
Deemed as Reef Safe Experienced reef keepers will tell you that most species of the long legged hermies are deemed as reef safe.
It is best to buy the smaller varieties because they are less lightly to destroy the coral, eat other fish or upset the finely balanced structure of your tank.
Instead they will sit comfortably with other species and varieties of marine life in perfect harmony.
Sand sifters Certain types of these particular hermies are known as sand sifters.
This means that they will scour the bottom of the tank where the substrate sits and pick out detritus, other fallen debris and any uneaten food that fall to the bottom of the tank.
They are even known to eat faecal matter.
This means that they kind of act as a biological sand filter system.
Vacuum cleaners These particular hermies are very good vacuum cleaners.
This means that they swim through the water hoovering up unwanted particles thus keeping it clean and free from any crud such as red slime algae that might develop over a period of time Food finders As the title suggests, these hermies are natural scavengers.
This means that they will scour your reef tank for food particles and will find their own source of food.
So you do not have to feed them very often.
Just be aware that if the algae within your reef tank dries up, you will need to make sure that you supplement their diet by giving your pet hermies a little dried seaweed, as this contains all the nutrients they need to be fit and healthy.
As you can see here are some of the reasons why long legged salt water hermit crabs are an excellent addition to your reef tank.
They are masters at keeping your tank or aquarium at the right natural balance that will in turn support all the other marine life living within it.
They also provide a fun element to your aquatic paradise as they constantly change their shells.
Finally their lifespan can be quite lengthy, so you will not have to keep replacing them every few years.
So if you are about to set up your reef tank for the first time then the aquatic hermies should be the first on your list every single time.
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