The Electric Blue Hermit Crab (Calcinus elegans) is also known as the Blue Knuckle crab, or Neon Blue Stripe Hermit Crab, that displays a stunning black and neon blue striped body with orange antennae. Both claws are close to being equal size and are brownish green in color.
Electric blue hermit crabs are some of the brightest and most vividly colored of all species of marine hermit crabs and can be confused for the Blue Leg crab which stays quite small. The Electric Blue crab is a medium sized hermit crab and can reach a maximum adult size of around 2 inches and need to be kept in tanks that are at least 10 gallons in size.
Electric Blue Hermit Crabs do best when kept in tanks with lots of live rock for them to scavenge on and hid in during the day. It is considered reef safe and consumes mainly algae including some green hair algae and cyanobacteria. If there is an insufficient amount of algae present, the Electric Blue Leg Hermit Crab will need to be fed dried seaweed.
However, it is an opportunistic omnivore and will take food where it can find it. It will also eat detritus, fish food, and anything else edible. As a result of its feeding habits, it keeps aquarium tanks clean, which helps sustain the aquarium ecosystem and reduces the need for maintenance by the owner. In addition, it provides valuable aeration by sifting through the sand.
The Electric Blue hermit crab is capable of living for up to 30 years in the wild. In an aquarium, however, they only last for an average of two to three years. Like all hermit crabs, they make their home in empty snail shells, be sure to have an array of empty shells available for them to move into when they grow. They will also take housing matters into their own pincers by occasionally eating a snail and taking that shell over; smaller snails are especially at risk.
At Discount Coral we sell many types of saltwater hermit crabs, including blue legged hermits, Scarlet Red Hermit Crabs, all the way to the bright orange and larger bodied Halloween hermit crabs to choose from.
Most invertebrates do not like large swings in water parameters and the Electric Blue Hermit Crab is not an exception, so even though most hobbyists do not acclimate their cleaner crews it is suggested to do so. If you have a sump, float your cleaner crew in an area with low light to allow them to temperature acclimate first which should take about 15-20 min. Then it is best to slowly drip acclimate them to allow them to adjust to your water conditions.
