Hermit crab
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Description
The Hermit crab or paguros, are some crustaceans Family of pagourideos or Paguroidea. there are a 500 different species of hermit crabs along worldwide, It is the most water crabs, although there are some terrestrial varieties. What he has become famous for these crabs, In addition to Disney movies, It is the special relationship we have with the shells of other mollusks dead. They They need a shell to cover her abdomen which it is much softer than the rest of the crabs. The shells are changing as they grow and need more space.
Morphology
Are crabs lack of protection for your stomach, so they seek to protect themselves using abandoned shells of other mollusks dead, This behavior is called Tntochresis. The stomach of the hermit crab is threaded to suit the chosen shell, and uses its legs and claws to block the entrance to your home. Despite having an abdomen unprotected, the rest of your body if It is protected by a rigid exoskeleton, so that the remaining part of the body outside the shell, If you have protection from predators. It has ten legs, the first two being shaped pincer, which they serve to capture and manipulate their prey. As a curiosity, the right clip is larger than the left, as with fiddler crab. The other four front legs serve to move, while four legs are hidden inside the shell, precisely because it used to hold. In his head we can find two eyes at the end of appendices, as well as two bodies shaped antenna antenulares called flagella, which they serve to perceive everything that happens around him.
Colorful
As I said before, We are talking about a kind of shellfish, more than 500 different species. there exists a lot of colors associated with hermit crabs, but the most common are red and brown coloration, even if may have gray tones, you orange, and some are of a bright red shade. The area where they live and their environment, significant influence on their coloration.
Development and change shell
The hermit crab starts to get his first shell that protects your body, when it has already developed its four antennas and two clamps, the duration of this growth process It is frequently changing skin, up to the stage magalopa. To change shell, the hermit crab has to break its old shell, to do so you need to increase your body. It does this by absorbing water to increase by 70% His weight. Once broken its shell old, They look for one that is large enough to serve you and leave room to grow.
Distribution and habitat
- Easytest with 50 test strips water.
- Strips for analysis 6 important water values in 1 minute.
- nitrites (NO2) de zero a ten mg/l.
- Mide el pH de 6,four a 9,zero.
We can find hermit crabs in most of the planet, provided that the temperature conditions are adequate, They are preferring tropical habitats. Continents where they are more easily are the American and European. In Europe you can find them in the Mediterranean Sea and the Baltic. In the Americas populations are distributed from Alaska to Mexico. In Asia you can also find them from the Bering Strait, to Japan. They like to live near the coast, It does not care that the bottom is rocky, reefs or enviornment, although their favorite places to live are under rocks.
Aquarium conditions
If you decide to take care of hermit crabs, you should know that like they are in community, and you must put three or four copies in the aquarium. Depending on the species, the size of the aquarium may vary, but you can have three or four large fish in an aquarium of about 150 liters. They need a sandy substrate, in which to hide and move. they must also provide the possibility of leaving the water, with rocks, enviornment area outside water, logs, and many others. Remember that, although they are marine animals, like them out of the water and walk on the beach. The water should have a temperature of between 24ºC and 26ºC, with a pH between 7 y eight,9.
Diet
They are an omnivorous species, will eat almost anything. Naturally eat smaller crustaceans, how snails, mussels or prawns, also worms, remains of a dead animal they are and of course, plant remains. In an aquarium they will adapt to eating pieces of fish, mussels or prawns, also they can provide vegetables and fruit pieces.
Behavior and compatibility
They are quiet animals by nature, except when they need to change shell. If several crabs and not enough shells for all, They fought among themselves. In addition to using shells that are not theirs for protection, too often they develop a relationship of convenience with anemones, engageable their shells. curiously, although the crab shell change, Anemone crab will follow wherever you go. While Anemone keeps predators away from the crab, Anemone devour food scraps left by the crab.
Reproduction
Hermit crabs They are oviparous, They reproduce by eggs twice a year. The female, usually it carries its eggs under the stomach, until they are fertilized by the male. Once fertilized female releases them into the sea, where they hatch and become part of the zooplankton. Fortunately They lay hundreds of eggs that will become adults.
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- Siphon tube supplied. Caudal 520 liters per hour.
- With this tool, You can remove dirt from the bottom of your aquarium. Supplied with two sizes of suction tube, It is suitable for…
- It can also be used as a water trap to change the water, or to empty your aquarium when connecting a hose to the outlet.
