Do you enjoy keeping aquarium pets? I do too, but have you thought about keeping hermit crabs in the same tank with cichlids?. We all know that cichlids can be very aggressive, especially species like the African cichlids. So the question here is, can hermit crabs be kept with cichlids? We will learn about it in this article.
Can hermit crab live together with Cichlid? Hermit crab cannot live together with Cichlid. Cichlids are known to be aggressive and will kill the hermit crabs.
Hermit crabs are although strong with their claws, but very gentle and they don’t like being stressed.
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Cichlids are very lively fish that could eat many things, including crayfish and crabs, especially those that could enter their mouth.
Also Cichlids are very aggressive, especially the African Cichlids and some other species of it.
They are very aggressive that they can eat any tank mate you might want them to share their tanks with or even stress their tank mates to death.
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That’s why they don’t have much suitable tank mates.
Thinking of having these two aquatic animals together in the same tank is not encouraging because they will harm themselves or even eat themselves in that tank of yours.
Although some hermit crabs are freshwater dwellers, while some are brackish water dwellers.
With this, the nature of your crab might not entirely match with that of the fish, so keeping them together in the same tank and with the same water might be harmful to any of them.
Related: Can Crayfish Live With Cichlids?
Do you know that some hermit crabs do not entirely submerge? If they stay submerged for a while, they will drown.
So if you happen to have those species or crabs, they will need a land inside your aquarium where they will be staying.
Related: Can Hermit Crabs share a tank with Cichlids?
But your fish might also decide to go out of water and stay on the land you have inside your Aquarium, and will die.
Can I Put Crabs With my Cichlids?
You might be interested to know if crabs could live with cichlids. Well, although Cichlids are lively, aggressive and intolerant. But crabs are although strong, but gentle. The issue is, can these two animals live together?
Cichlids can eat anything they could, especially small animals that could fit in their mouth. Having Crabs and Cichlids in one tank is dangerous, as Cichlids might eat them.
Although some species of cichlids are more aggressive than others, so there are some species that could be able to tolerate crabs, but I won’t advise that!.
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You might have thought of getting bigger tank that will contain both and give them a space, so they won’t stand on each other’s way.
Honestly, I don’t think that will work.
Naturally, Cichlids see any small animals as food, even both crayfish and crab.
Although some crabs might be big for the fish to kill and eat, but the fish might stress them to death.
Related: Are Sunfish and Cichlids good tank mate?
So I won’t advise keeping them together, even if the tank is big enough for them, because the fish must in one way or the other locate the crabs.
Can Hermit Crabs Live with Other Fish?
Now you know that hermit crabs can’t make a suitable tank mate with Cichlids, So can they live with other fish?
Yes, There are some fish that could tolerate hermit crabs and other crabs in one tank.
There are some naturally cool and gentle fish that could tolerate any tank mate without minding, for the fact that they could live in the same type of water.
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These fish won’t try to eat their tank mates like Cichlids.
0n the other hand, the crabs can’t hurt them either, so they will stay out of each other’s way.
Such type of fishes is what you need for your hermit crabs as tank mates, not cichlids that will try to eat them at any slightest opportunity.
Some of the Fish that Could Live with Hermit Crabs
Damselfish
Clownfish
Gobies
Cardinalfish.
Although there are many more that could be able to share a tank with Hermit Crabs, for the fact their water conditions match.
Conclusion
Cichlids are not suitable tank mates for hermit crabs and other crabs.
Look for their suitable tank mates or cichlids will kill them.
