I'm not real fond of snails. The look of them on the glass and the eggs etc. Kind of petty stuff I know but I had some light GHA and cynano, put in a Emerald crab and a few hermits, and they pretty much ripped through it in a few days. They've since turned to my snails and are picking them off one by one. I'm thinking of not replacing them and just adding a few more crabs. Am I asking for algae trouble? Is there any maintenance that only snails can provide?
All crab CUC?
- Thread starter Pyrosteve
- Start date
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Our snails are lawnmowers.
Our hermit crabs are fratricidal.
:-/
Just guessing, from 7 years experience with various snails and blue legs on what you will need. :- )
Your best bet will be a lot of them. (2 to 4 tiny blue legs per gallon of water?)
And 1 emerald crab per 5 gallons?
If you went with higher numbers I would expect them to fratricide quickly.
I still think they might fratricide slowly, but that is the range I would start with.
Make sure you have half a bazillion empty cerith snail shells in various sizes in the tank.
The blue legs will still enjoy fratricide, but it will take longer.
:-/
I skipped the red legs because someone told me the red legs and blue legs eat each other almost immediately. No idea if that is true or I'm just repeating internet rumor. ;-/
Definitely skip the cool giant hairy hermit crabs. Have been told by several people they are not 'reef safe'.
Also skip (for now) the awesome electric blue, electric orange and Halloween hermit crabs.
They are just too cool, but never lived long, and may eat the tiny ones for fun. :-/
For now you are looking at the hermits as a utility.
I would wait a few years before adding the super cool, $15 hermits.
7 years ago, in a 75 gallon tank, we started with a dozen tiny blue legs.
a dozen tiny left handed, black and white, Hawaiian, zebra, hermit crabs (i think that covers all the common names. :- ))
4 scarlett hermit crabs ( mostly for pretty. Not really known as workhorses like the blue legs.)
We now have for sure 1 blue legs and 1 zebra.
I have never done an intense study, but casually looking at the tank when I feed I only noticed those 2 anymore.
Never added any more because I wanted to know how long they were capable of living.
The listed range is wide and usually less than 2 years.
I think everyone else kept them with puffers. ;- )
Our hermit crabs are fratricidal.
:-/
Just guessing, from 7 years experience with various snails and blue legs on what you will need. :- )
Your best bet will be a lot of them. (2 to 4 tiny blue legs per gallon of water?)
And 1 emerald crab per 5 gallons?
If you went with higher numbers I would expect them to fratricide quickly.
I still think they might fratricide slowly, but that is the range I would start with.
Make sure you have half a bazillion empty cerith snail shells in various sizes in the tank.
The blue legs will still enjoy fratricide, but it will take longer.
:-/
I skipped the red legs because someone told me the red legs and blue legs eat each other almost immediately. No idea if that is true or I'm just repeating internet rumor. ;-/
Definitely skip the cool giant hairy hermit crabs. Have been told by several people they are not 'reef safe'.
Also skip (for now) the awesome electric blue, electric orange and Halloween hermit crabs.
They are just too cool, but never lived long, and may eat the tiny ones for fun. :-/
For now you are looking at the hermits as a utility.
I would wait a few years before adding the super cool, $15 hermits.
7 years ago, in a 75 gallon tank, we started with a dozen tiny blue legs.
a dozen tiny left handed, black and white, Hawaiian, zebra, hermit crabs (i think that covers all the common names. :- ))
4 scarlett hermit crabs ( mostly for pretty. Not really known as workhorses like the blue legs.)
We now have for sure 1 blue legs and 1 zebra.
I have never done an intense study, but casually looking at the tank when I feed I only noticed those 2 anymore.
Never added any more because I wanted to know how long they were capable of living.
The listed range is wide and usually less than 2 years.
I think everyone else kept them with puffers. ;- )
Got it. Sounds like not a good idea. Just a thought. Funny thing is I only ordered snails and a Emerald but was sent a bag of hermits with them. I was impressed seeing the job they did on the algae. The snails did nothing and barely moved since I got them. I thought they were dead more than once but then they would move an inch or two. I guess I'll be getting more and learn to love them 
