Crabs, snails, and sand oh my!

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NightSpirit

Aquarium Advice Activist
Joined
Oct 24, 2003
Messages
196
Location
Arizona, Tempe
Hello,

I was wondering what crabs and snails are considered reef-safe?
Well, I don't really have a reef, but I do have live rock, and eventually I may get some easy to keep coral.

I was going to buy some Queen conch crabs, but the LFS guy said they sift though the sand, and I currently have a 4-6" DSB and I have heard conflicting advice.

One group says to keep sand-sifting stuff out of there so the anaerobic area is left alone. The other group says the sand needs to be sifted around so it doesn't harden. Any thoughts?

Also, some live rock I got has a crab inside of it, and the LFS guy said it was likely a "rock crab" and to get rid of it because it will just cause trouble. Any thoughts on this as well?
 
Sand shifting is good. Just don't get anything that eats the little critters that live in the sand.
 
IMO a DSB will crash without sandsifters.

Can you post a pic of the crab? They're pretty hard to ID otherwise.
 
Almost every crab has the potential to cause trouble. Crabs will eat just about anything when they feel the urge...fish, coral polyps, snails, other crabs...the list goes on...
 
Turbo snails are a little large and clumsy and will knock stuff over if it's not secure. Nassarius snails are great sand sifters, and are fun to watch bubble out of the sand.
 
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