Electric Orange Hermit Crab

 Quick Care Facts

• Care Level: Easy   • Temperament: Peaceful   • Maximum Size: 2"
• Diet: Omnivore   • Aquarium Level: Substrate & Rocks   • Minimum Tank Size: 12 gallons
 • Reef Compatible: Yes   • Water Conditions: 72-78° F, dKH 8-12, pH 8.1-8.4, sg 1.023-1.025
• Supplements: Calcium, Iodine, Trace elements   • Coloration: Brown, Blue, Orange
• Origin: Hawaiian Islands, Indo-Pacific • Family: Diogenidae   • Species: Crabs

Help Support AquariumDomain!      

• Your support keeps AquariumDomain advertisement free, lightning fast and fully optimized for both mobile and desktop browsing.

• Visit our Patreon page to learn about the exclusive benefits our Patrons receive!

The Electric Orange Hermit Crab originates from the Hawaiian Islands and has legs and tentacles with bright orange with brown banding. The claws are identical in size, and these crabs have unique elongated blue eyes. They are a very colorful addition to the marine aquarium and they provide a valuable service in eating any left over food that may settle on the substrate.

These crabs live in abandoned snail or triton shells, but if no shells are available it may resort to attacking and eating a snail so it can use the shell for its home. These Hermit Crabs are reef safe, and will not bother invertebrates or corals. This species is an excellent candidate for inclusion in a cleaning crew for either a reef aquarium or a community fish aquarium.

The Electric Orange Hermit Crab does not require any specific aquarium conditions above and beyond property water quality and aeration. They should be kept in numbers that correspond to the amount of food available to them in the aquarium. As scavengers they will eat algae and any foodstuffs that make it to the bottom of the aquarium.

Electric Orange Hermit Crabs also make an excellent addition to any cleaning crew as they will not only eat leftover food and algae including green hair algae and cyanobacteria, but they will also sift through the sand providing valuable aeration by sifting through the sand. If you have few fish or low lighting in your aquarium, you may have to provide seaweed and meaty tablets to supplement the diet of this crab; however, if the proper number of crabs is kept this should be in rare cases.

Electric Orange Hermit Crabs will primarily eat algae and any leftover meaty foods that make it the bottom of the aquarium. They are omnivores and need both plant and animal matter in their diets. In the event that there is not enough algae for them, they can be fed seaweed.

If kept in the right numbers, this species should find plenty of meaty scraps scavenging around the aquarium. As with most crabs, the Electric Orange Hermit Crab makes for a great cleaner.