Fish living with hermitcrab??

[sterling_mcdaniel]

I was sitting at home after a day at work and i get a call from my mother, she starts to tell me that in her saltwater tank her hermit crab has a fish living inside the shell with it! She described it as very small with the coloration of a clownfish? has anyone heard of this.
any info is greatly appreciated.

 

[sweeTang21]

well, first question is does you mom have a pair of clownfish?? lol

I havnt really heard anything like this but i suppose anythings possible. My guess would that if this did happen, the baby fish would be food in a short period of time.

Also how big is the hermit?? this would have to be the quite the crab in size anyways

 

[RedtailBarracuda]

I was learning about this in biology Where in the ocean the hermit crab gets a smallish centipede looking fish inside its shell. The centipede looking fish steals the food from the hermit crab but doesn't harm the hermit crab. Not sure if its it just interesting

 

[sterling_mcdaniel]

no only one clownfish. and the crab is about 3 inches.

 

[sweeTang21]

hmmm, im not sure like i said i havnt seen or heard about it before, but anythings possible, specially in a reef world. If you can, get a pic or two, btw, 3" is huge for a hermit.

 

[sterling_mcdaniel]

by the way it is a Dardanus megistos

 

[sterling_mcdaniel]

I will try and get her to take a pic and send it to me she live about 1 hour away

 

[Reefscape]

by the way it is a Dardanus megistos

These grow to about 6 inches in size and will happily / easily take out an unaware fish...

 

[sterling_mcdaniel]

These grow to about 6 inches in size and will happily / easily take out an unaware fish...

so i have heard.......she just has a couple of damsels and a clown in there.

 

[Crustman]

You may have a species of Pearlfish, Carapidae living as a symbiont with the crab. These get in several invertebrate hosts.