Hi, guys.

Just saw something amazing.

From time to time, micro hermits climb over my weir and end up caught in the ball valve. I notice, as it blocks it partially, and the emergency overflow gets used, which is noisy.

This one must have had a particularly hydrodynamic shell as it didn't cause this. It must have been there days, because eventually it abandoned it's shell. I found a hermit walking around the glass of the sump like Spider-Man, without the weight of its shell it was very nimble.

I got it out, put it in a jug of water and got the camera ready. I then put a spare shell in and as expected it immediately ran to it, gave it a quick once over and reversed into it. Amazing to watch. Unfortunately idiot here didn't hit record. so I can't share it with you, but it was very neat to see...

yeah.

You can probably safely de shell a hermit with a G clamp. You'd just tighten until the shell fractures, but as a G clamp is rigid, there'll be no tension to squash the now fractured shell and injure the crab inside.

I'm not going to do that though.

I was gutted when I realised I didn't hit record. I was pointing the camera at it throughout.

Sounds like you've already experimented I-Conica . They're hard to see change over aren't they, they don't mess about. I recorded one ages ago looking like it was about to change you could see it's body at the edge of the old one about to come out but I think it saw me and thought he'd just tease me and waste some time the pita

Haha, awesome! So far only one of my crabs has changed its shell, and then it was when I wasn't looking. I do see their moulted skins from time to time though, and there doesn't seem to be much definition to the back of them and always wish I could get a proper look. Can't wait to see the photos!