I want to buy a staghorn hermit crab ..

[Royalty]

But from what I understand is the it's not reef safe but what if I dissided to get one anyways I dont have any corals and I could get a nice light to get the coral on its back alive? Is there a way to make this work? I only have inverts and live rock in my tank I love the look of the staghorn

some guy at trocial isle gave me some not so happy info on them and I dont want to be mislead.

 

[UncleJT]

Staghorns require a lot of attention so dedicated care is a must. The crab itself is very hardy. The trick, however, is keeping the shell alive. The shell is covered with hydroids and bryozoans and are easily stung by anemones and corals. Additionally, if the crab falls over, it has no ability to recover. Staghorns are usually best kept in a refugium or a biotope system with lots of other filter feeders where you can feed the tank enough to satisfy the hydroids and bryozoans. Live plankton foods are going to be your best bet. However, these are very tricky animals and do require advanced care. I do not recommend them.

 

[JayM]

I also think it is NOT for someone just starting out, or someone with a new (less than 2 years old) system. YMMV.

 

[Royalty]

OK Ok I guess Ill wait until Im ready for him .. Its to bad I was thinking of getting a few like three of four of them and put them in my refugium but thanks for the heads up I was about to start ordering them next week . they look so cool I already pictured them in my tank ..o'well you can't have em' all.