Hermits & Snails

[Mr.5150]

Hey,
I'm planning on getting some hermits for my 29 gal tank. I need some good ones to control my hair alage. No matter what i do it just keeps growing back. So i decided on getting some cleaner hermits to eat it. Any suggestions on which hermits to get??? Also i have a few banded snails in there...Will the hermits eat the snails or my fish??? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[ReefLady]

If you go with hermits, I would stick with the scarlet-legged ones, and get the smallest you can. Also, keep a supply of empty shells in the tank for them to grow into. This will minimize the chance of them killing snails. Small scarlet-legged hermits are relatively easy-going.

I'd tend to look more toward the root of the problem though - how are your nitrate/phosphate levels? Algae needs 2 things to survive -- light, and food. Food comes in the shape of 'trates. Using RO/DI?

HTH,

 

[BillyZ]

I would also go with the hermits, however I don't think i'd go with the smaller ones. hermits kill snails when they're in need of a bigger home (shell). if you're hermits are smaller than your snails then the potential for snail slaying exists. however, if your hermits and snails are the same size (or hermits are bigger) then you lessen the chance of snailicide as the snails shells will be too small for the hermits to move into.

 

[Hara]

I love my sally lightfoot crabs. micro hermits do a great job on hair algae, they are just too small for a large tank, they may do well in yours.