Coral Dilemma

[Ciglesias]

Hey there. So I am new to this forum and also the reef world and have literally made an account for this purpose. So recently I have put Coral into my tank along with a clean up crew consisting of 5 snails and hermits. My coral (Rasta Zoas) are on my gravel in order to acclimate. However my hermits keep climbing on the plug and causing the coral to retract. I have tried moving the coral higher but I do not think they like that much light that soon. Whenever I moved the coral back on the gravel the hermits went right back to business. Any advice?

 

[Crabs McJones]

Hey there. So I am new to this forum and also the reef world and have literally made an account for this purpose. So recently I have put Coral into my tank along with a clean up crew consisting of 5 snails and hermits. My coral (Rasta Zoas) are on my gravel in order to acclimate. However my hermits keep climbing on the plug and causing the coral to retract. I have tried moving the coral higher but I do not think they like that much light that soon. Whenever I moved the coral back on the gravel the hermits went right back to business. Any advice?

Welcome to R2R And thanks for signing up

#WelcometoR2R

Is there anything on the plug that the hermits may be attracted to? Any algae?
What lighting do you have them under? Is it dimmable? Depended on that you could raise them up and lower your lighting level to help with acclimation

 

[VSVP bet]

Welcome!
As stated above, perhaps the hermits are picking at something on the frag plug. They may irritate the zoas, but once the crabs are done picking, the zoas should open up again.

 

[SharkAttack06]

I'd recommend getting rid of the hermits. They do nothing but fight/eat each other and the snails. I'm finally down to 2 or 3 and will be trading them in soon. They tick my Duncan Coral off all the time.

 

[Capitol Reef Corals]

What kind of hermits are they? Whenever I add an "matured" frag into my system, my CUC (clean up crew) will also pick at it for a day or two. This is normal, I'd let the hermits pick at it for a day or two. If they don't stop after that then remove the hermits.

Welcome!

 

[Ciglesias]

I'd recommend getting rid of the hermits. They do nothing but fight/eat each other and the snails. I'm finally down to 2 or 3 and will be trading them in soon. They **** my Duncan Coral off all the time.

I’ve thought about removing them. What would be a good substitute to go along with the snails that I have?

 

[Ciglesias]

What kind of hermits are they? Whenever I add an "matured" frag into my system, my CUC (clean up crew) will also pick at it for a day or two. This is normal, I'd let the hermits pick at it for a day or two. If they don't stop after that then remove the hermits.

Welcome!

Thanks for the advice! I’m pretty new to the hobby but that are about the size of half of a thumb nail and they have blue legs.

 

[Ciglesias]

Welcome to R2R And thanks for signing up

#WelcometoR2R

Is there anything on the plug that the hermits may be attracted to? Any algae?
What lighting do you have them under? Is it dimmable? Depended on that you could raise them up and lower your lighting level to help with acclimation

When I first got the corals I saw some algae on the plugs so I didn’t worry. But it’s been about 5-6 days and the crabs keep coming back. I have the corals under an AI prime HD, but I am unfamiliar with the acclimation mode it has.

 

[SharkAttack06]

How old is your tank?

 

[Ciglesias]

How old is your tank?

The tank is about 2 months old. It has been cycled for a month.

 

[SharkAttack06]

I'd recommend more snails. Can't beat them for a cleanup crew. And a blood fire shrimp is always a great cleaner addition. I've been lucky with my emerald crab, just unlucky with the hermit crabs. Good luck with the new tank!

 

[Ciglesias]

I'd recommend more snails. Can't beat them for a cleanup crew. And a blood fire shrimp is always a great cleaner addition. I've been lucky with my emerald crab, just unlucky with the hermit crabs. Good luck with the new tank!

Thanks for the reply! Would 2-3 more snails, a fire shrimp, and an emerald crab be too much of a bioload you think? I have a 10 gallon tank by the way. Along with 2 picasso clowns.

 

[SharkAttack06]

You should be fine if you add a few nassarius snails, and if you choose the bfs or emerald you have to make sure you have enough hiding spots.

 

[Ciglesias]

You should be fine if you add a few nassarius snails, and if you choose the bfs or emerald you have to make sure you have enough hiding spots.

Sounds good! thank you for all of your help.

 

[Ranjib]

Welcome to r2r , you'll love it here