Predators to Hermit Crabs?

[dme330i]

While looking at my tank this morning, I couldn't find one live hermit crab. I originally had 70 blue legs and now, I don't see one alive. Corals, fish and inverts are fine, including my mithrax, coral banded and skunk. In the fuge my hermits are fine.

The fact that they are alive in my fuge isolates the problem to the main tank.

Any thoughts?

[yousuredo]

what fish, and inverts do you have ?

[dme330i]

Mithrax, skunk, peppermint, 2 brittlestars, astreas, nassarius, a couple tangs, a couple oscellaris, bicolor blenny.

I've recently seen several very small snails that must have hitchhiked - gold and white shell - very small 2-3 mm.

Water parameters have been as usual 0's all around, 1.025SG.

[Melissa]

Maybe your brittle stars? I've heard they can be prey on some fish. I'm not sure about them eating your hermits, but that seems like the only thing on your list that's a possibility.

Do you target feed your stars?

[LiLi]

brittle stars need to be target fed? I too have lost about 5 small hermits. I have one black brittle, but he seems to stay hidden in the rock for the most part. I do have a large hermit that is still there. Have only been able to find one empty hermit shell. only tankmates are 2 H. erectus, a mandarin, a coral banded shrimp, 2 peppermint shrimp, some turbos, limpets, nass snails, and a tigertail sea cuke. what do you feed the stars?

Lisa

[the_colonel]

I have a goby who eats hermits like popcorn.

[dme330i]

I haven't been target feeding my stars - used to but I've noticed that they do a pretty good job of coming out when the pellets fall.

Nonetheless, it's definitely a possiblity that they are eating them. Wouldn't the hermits just recede into their shell?

[traip93]

some wrasses eat them. Octapuse (spelling eat them). MAntis Shrimp eat them....