Hermit or not to Hermit?

[want2findnemo]

Does anyone have issues with their hermit crabs killing their snails?

Will the hermits dmg corals?

 

[Innovator]

Other than the 'Scarlet Red/Reef' hermits I don't care for them. All hermits are opportunistic and may pick at snails or coral, but I have to give them credit, they sure are fun to watch.

 

[Ziggy953]

I agree with Innovator, I prefer to have the scarlet hermits in my tank as well though I do have a few blue legs too. They can and will kill snails.

 

[want2findnemo]

ok so if i were to get hermits the safest ones would be the Scarlet Red/Reef?

Im probably going to get 3 red ones

 

[want2findnemo]

I'm browsing at cleanup crew sites and the packages they have for a 75g looks like a lot of creatures.

Do I really need to have that many? And is it even a good idea to add all of it at once?

ex1)
20 Nassarius Snails
15 Nerite Snails
15 Cerith Snails
20 Dwarf White Leg Hermits
15 Blue Leg Hermits
2 Scarlet Reef Hermits
1 Green Emerald Crab
1 Serpent or Brittle Starfish

ex2)
20 - Blue Legged Hermits
7 - Astrea Snails
5 - Margarita Snails
5 - Cerith Snails
1 - Emerald Crab

ex3)

75 gallon
25 scarlet herm
35 blue leg herm
35 turbo astrea snail
2 cucumber
2 emerald crab

 

[Innovator]

Most sites allow you to "mix n' match" so you can purchase inverts you deem more important. How long has your tank been set up?

 

[want2findnemo]

Only about three weeks,

its cycling now. Im at the part where the ammonia drops to 0 and the nitrite is spiking.

But I wanted to research ahead of time before the cycle is done.

So I really need like 75-100 clean up crews?

 

[Innovator]

Example 1 would be your best bet with some minor changes, but if you are a beginner I would recommend learning about how to maintain water parameters hands-on rather than throwing in a clean-up crew that may not even help the first onslought of algae not to mention you probably won't have enough detritus, mulm, and other mucks in order to satisfy a large introduction of invertebrates.

 

[Ziggy953]

I totally agree. At the peek of your reef when you are at a full bioload and you have had it established for a year or more is when you want to look at having that 75-100 critters in your clean up crew. The clean up crew is like anything else it should be added slowly.

I agree with Innovator about learning how to maintain the water params, very good advice. The clean up crew is there to keep things, well, clean.

 

[want2findnemo]

Ok thanks!

So basically its like my final fish list. I make a final cleanup crew list and slowly add them as i need them.

 

[cmor1701d]

That would be correct. As you add more fish you'll have more waste and need a larger cleanup crew. I prefer to keep my tank clawless except for a lone cleaner shrimp. I do have a variety of snails though.

 

[want2findnemo]

Thanks!

There is so many different snails, what are the main differences between them?

I hear a lot abot turbo snails...

And I cant seem to find a compatibility chart for inverts with other inverts cuz i want to know if different crabs, snails, shrimp etc can live with each other.

 

[want2findnemo]

i wanna get

some scarlet hermit
snails (will have to research which ones)
coral bandit shrimp
Pacific Clown Anemone Shrimp

 

[cmor1701d]

You asked....

Nassarius Snails - Nassarius spp. They mostly stay in the sand, but will sometimes make short trips up the glass. They are mainly detritus eaters and do an excellent job cleaning and shifting the sand. These are also some of the most hardy snails available. They can flip themselves upright very easily. They are fun to watch as they come bursting out of the sand bed at feeding time.

Onyx Nassarius -Ilyanassa spp. (Black Mud Snail, Black Nassarius Snail ) snails are very good at keeping sand beds completely clean of algae as well as other organics. They may occasionally strip a sand bed of enough nutrients that there will be none left to support copepod or amphipod populations. If you keep dragonets (e.g. Mandarins) that rely on healthy populations of copepods and amphipods do not get these. They are also a cooler water species and may not last that long in higer temp tanks like reef tanks.

Cerith Snails-Cerithium spp. (Cortez) - Good algae and detritus eaters that forage rock, glass, and sand. Some can pick themselves up and some cant.

Cerith Snails (White)- Good algae and detritus eaters that seem to stay in the sand more than the cortez, but can be found on the rock and glass. Once again, some can pick themselves up and others cant. These are good sand bed snails.

Astrea Snails -Astraea tecta: Most common of all saltwater tank snails. They are excellent algae eaters and will forage all over the rock, sand, and glass. These guys fall very easily, can not right themselves, and then die.

Margarita Snail - Margarites pupillus. (Stomatella Limpet Snail, Pearl Snail, Little Margarite Snail, Pearly Topped Snail ) Another snail to add to the algae eating aresnal. Will cruise around on the rock and glass.

Fighting Conchs - Strombus gibberulus. Little vacuum cleaners. One per 2 sq. ft. of sand. They'll eat diatoms and, sometimes, cyano. Get one per 2 sq. feet of tank is what was recommened to me. They tend to disappear behind the rocks for a few days then come back around to the front again.

Nerite Snails - Nerita spp. Mostly a rock and glass snail that are all about the algae. They may crawl above the water line of your tank as they often become exposed in the wild during low tide. Mine usually end up in the sump where they can get above the water line and come back down when they want to.

Turbo Snails : They are big and clumsy. They'll knock over or move anything that isn't glued/nailed down. Actually I had one knock a coral frag that was glued to a a plug right off the plug. But, they will attack hair algea. Mine are now escargot size and I moved them to the sump because they were always knocking corals off the rock and plugs they were attached to.

 

[want2findnemo]

Nice...

You know how there's a 2ft rule for the conch.

Do the other snails have a rule of thumb?

Will I have any specific issues with:

some scarlet hermit
coral bandit shrimp
Pacific Clown Anemone Shrimp

I wish there was some invert compatibility chart like the fish one...

 

[roka64]

Hermits can eat snails.
CBS can and will eat other inverts and possibly smaller fish (depending on it's attitude).
If you are planning on adding Clowns and an anemone, the clowns may possibly kill the shrimp (I know this is true with the anemone crabs).

 

[want2findnemo]

Did you mean the CBS will kill the clowns?

Ya I wanted to get the anenome shrimp aswell.. So they are not compatible with CBS? aww...

 

[roka64]

CBS can turn out really mean, at least that is what I have read. I have read of CBS killing smaller fish.

 

[austinsdad]

Yeah. Hermits eat snails. Some more than others. But I'm just one to believe that it's a natural thang to happen when hermits need larger homes. I like letting it all happen and simply adding more snails once a year maybe.

 

[melosu58]

I use these with pretty good results and never seen them mess with my corals. I`ve yet to see them messing with my snails.