African water hermit. - Clibanarius africanus

The African hermit crab Clibanarius africanus belongs to the hermit crabs living in brackish water to seawater. They do not need a land part, but live exclusively in the water. With about 4 cm this cute little water dweller does not grow very big. Like practically all hermit crabs, the African hermit crab has a soft abdomen, which it protects with a snail shell. For this purpose, it prefers elongated shells of large turreted snails such as Tympanotonus fuscatus. It is recommended to offer the African hermit crabs a number of different sized shells in the aquarium.

The African hermit crab is dark brown with yellowish markings on the legs and light brown to yellowish eyestalks. Clibanarius africanus is native to West Africa where it lives in brackish water containing lagoons connected to the sea. Clibanarius africanus is bisexual, but you cannot see the sexual characteristics because they are obscured by the shell of the snail. Please never try to pull a hermit crab out of its shell, this would inevitably lead to its death! Sometimes you can watch the little crabs looking for a new little house and have a look at the abdomen. In the female you can see remnants of swimming legs on the left side, in the male the abdomen is smooth on both sides.

The relatively peaceful African hermit crab feels comfortable in a group of three to five animals. We recommend an aquarium from 50 cm edge length, which is well furnished with sand and stones. Also mangrove roots or other wood is possible of course. The African hermit crab likes to climb very much, skillfully and persevering.

There are only a few plants that survive in the brackish water aquarium, among them are java fern, moss balls and the strandling Littorella uniflora. The African land hermit leaves plants completely alone.

Clibanarius africanus feels comfortable at a water temperature of 20 to 28 °C. The water should be salinated with 8 to 30 g of salt per liter.

African hermit crabs are pronounced omnivores. They like to eat filamentous algae and generally keep algae cover short in the aquarium. Vegetables and fruits are part of their diet as well as frozen food, small pieces of raw unseasoned fish, brown autumn leaves, shrimp food, ..

Socialization with Malayan trumpet snails as a cleaning troop is also possible in brackish water. Neocaridina shrimp such as the popular Red Fire also tolerate brackish water, and peaceful fish can also be kept in the aquarium with Clibanarius africanus, provided they can tolerate brackish water. African hermit crabs are also a conceivable tankmate in the brackish water section of a crab terrarium.

African hermit crabs reproduce via larval stages. Unlike land hermit crabs, they have not yet been bred in the hobby, but breeding is conceivable, as reproduction is very similar. Female African hermit crabs attach a large number of small eggs to their abdomen in the snail shell, which hatch into larvae that can be raised in a separate rearing tank, much like the larvae of the Amana shrimp.

Our plant recommendation: Use for planting NatureHolic InVitros. These are free of snails, planaria and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free of algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: We recommend for fish keeping the NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your animals. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.