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| The hermit is eating his lunch, a shrimp and veggies pellet. |
And beneath, the oyster opens wide, ready to catch any fine crumbs.
These pellets, a favourite with the hermits and crabs, contain: krill, fish, shrimp, soy (not a "normal" hermit diet, is it?), wheat, corn meal, squid meal, yeast, kelp, dried seaweed, more fish meal and oil, turmeric (for an appetizing colour or to make the grains taste like real food?), MSG, and assorted vitamins.
The anemones accept these readily, but soon spit out an orangey mush. They like plain dried shrimp better.
Some of the scavenging snails eat the leftovers. There are plenty; the hermits are messy eaters, and easily distracted by another hermit with an apparently bigger pellet; these must necessarily be chased down and captured immediately.
Are all of your tank dwellers from your trips to the ocean? - Margy
ReplyDeleteYes. I don't buy critters, because they may be sick, and they come from different ecosystems. Most of my residents are accidental additions that come in on seaweed or other food, such as barnacle clumps for the barnacle-eating snails. Some either were born in the tank, or grew up from planctonic immatures in the water. And some, mostly the larger hermits and the occasional crab or oyster, I brought in on purpose, usually to replace one that had died or been exiled (crabs) for being too aggressive. Or, like the blue-pincered hermit, because I wanted to examine him more closely.
ReplyDeleteBut they all came from the Campbell River coast, except for the plumose anemone and the older hermits, that came here from Boundary Bay, but are the same species as those living here. I am interested in how the ecosystem works together, and alien species would change the balance.
Thanks for the info. You have a great collection and you care for them so well. - Margy
ReplyDelete