Clibanarius tricolor

Acclimation: drip-acclimate it (one to two drops per second) until the salinity in the bucket matches the tank; a fast salinity change is dangerous for newcomers.

Shells: this is the key point. As it grows it changes shells, especially at moulting. Always keep several empty shells of various sizes: a hermit that cannot find one, or is hungry, may kill a snail to take its shell, and a moulting crab with no spare shell is very vulnerable.

Aquascape and group: an established tank with plenty of rock, cracks and caves to graze. Given its small size, keep it in a group.

Sensitivities: it does not tolerate copper treatments. Regular water changes usually supply enough minerals for moulting; a reef tank heavily stocked with invertebrates may need iodine or mineral supplements. Water: 22 to 25.5 °C, specific gravity 1.023 to 1.025, pH 8.1 to 8.4, alkalinity 8 to 12 dKH.

In the wild it is a detritivore eating dead plants and animals; it also grazes filamentous algae and cyanobacteria and sifts the sand for food.

In the aquarium it helps control nuisance algae and detritus. If algae run short, add algae wafers or frozen food, without leaving excess to rot. An underfed hermit is more dangerous to snails.