Critters delivered, but way too many?

[Aeiyr]

So, after about a month and a half of cycling and just letting things mellow, I got my fiest critters delivered. I ordered two mocha clownfish (small ones) along with 5 blue hermits, 3 trochus snails, 2 Astrea snails, and 3 truchus snails. The tank is a 14g IM nevo peninsula. It's always been the plan to get these two fish, and really nothing more than CuC and maybe a showcase/neato invert down the line.

The order was placed with Dr.Reefs quarantined fish as I don't have room to set up a QT and it's worth the money if it's handled for me.

Well, I get a look at the bags, and instead of the small custom cuc I ordered and had discounted from the normal packs of 10, it's full packs of 10.

So I now have 30 snails, and 10 blue leg hermits and 10 scarlet hermits.

For a 14g tank, this is not ideal I feel like.

All animals look healthy after inspection and are currently acclimating/floating. But what on earth can I do here? Just add them and let nature hash it out? Check daily for casualties?

 

[Dburr1014]

So, after about a month and a half of cycling and just letting things mellow, I got my fiest critters delivered. I ordered two mocha clownfish (small ones) along with 5 blue hermits, 3 trochus snails, 2 Astrea snails, and 3 truchus snails. The tank is a 14g IM nevo peninsula. It's always been the plan to get these two fish, and really nothing more than CuC and maybe a showcase/neato invert down the line.

The order was placed with Dr.Reefs quarantined fish as I don't have room to set up a QT and it's worth the money if it's handled for me.

Well, I get a look at the bags, and instead of the small custom cuc I ordered and had discounted from the normal packs of 10, it's full packs of 10.

So I now have 30 snails, and 10 blue leg hermits and 10 scarlet hermits.

For a 14g tank, this is not ideal I feel like.

All animals look healthy after inspection and are currently acclimating/floating. But what on earth can I do here? Just add them and let nature hash it out? Check daily for casualties?

Got any reefing friends?
Or just feed them.

 

[Aeiyr]

Edit: 3 nassarius. I said trochus twice.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

When I have extra stuff to give I usually just post on the local classifieds, free stuff goes pretty fast

 

[vetteguy53081]

So, after about a month and a half of cycling and just letting things mellow, I got my fiest critters delivered. I ordered two mocha clownfish (small ones) along with 5 blue hermits, 3 trochus snails, 2 Astrea snails, and 3 truchus snails. The tank is a 14g IM nevo peninsula. It's always been the plan to get these two fish, and really nothing more than CuC and maybe a showcase/neato invert down the line.

The order was placed with Dr.Reefs quarantined fish as I don't have room to set up a QT and it's worth the money if it's handled for me.

Well, I get a look at the bags, and instead of the small custom cuc I ordered and had discounted from the normal packs of 10, it's full packs of 10.

So I now have 30 snails, and 10 blue leg hermits and 10 scarlet hermits.

For a 14g tank, this is not ideal I feel like.

All animals look healthy after inspection and are currently acclimating/floating. But what on earth can I do here? Just add them and let nature hash it out? Check daily for casualties?

Trade credit with LFS or trade with members at a local reef club if you have one in your area

 

[Glammers]

This happened to me as well. I called my LFS and was able to give everything to them for a small store credit.

 

[Aeiyr]

Got any reefing friends?
Or just feed them.

I do not have any local friends who keep any sort of fish sadly. I'm my small towns "fish guy". I do have frozen mysis and baby brine shrimps well as some Nyos soft pellets and some sinking seaweed pellets. I also have Nori. I'm sure I can just feed them and see what happens. Guess I'll be looking into a skimmer soon, lol. Until it balances and I dial in feeding.

 

[Aeiyr]

This happened to me as well. I called my LFS and was able to give everything to them for a small store credit.

That sounds like a banger idea. Especially for the extra trochus. The closest saltwater lfs to me is about 20 miles but hey, I'll give it a wack.

 

[exnisstech]

Put them all in. If you have my luck the hermits will start taking out the snails then turn on each other so you'll have a smaller CUC in no time lol

 

[Aeiyr]

Well, here's the update. Gorham snail meeting going on up here. I've added everything besides the scarlet crabs so far. Only 1 trochus was DOA but seeing as I paid for 3 and got 10, sorry homie. That dude STANK. Anyways here's a picture of my hilariously packed 14g peninsula now.

I'll post again when I add the 10pack of Scarlets. There's a monster sized one I'm gonna keep for sure. I've named him Gorbathrax the ReefBreaker.

 

[seanarino]

1f freshwater sna1ls st1nk when they d1e, 1 can't 1mag1ne saltwater sna1ls...

 

[Aeiyr]

1f freshwater sna1ls st1nk when they d1e, 1 can't 1mag1ne saltwater sna1ls...

Yeah, it made me gag pretty hard. He was definitely stinking up the bag during the overnight ship. The water was pretty cloudy and the other 9 weren't what I'd call active. I rinsed them in some temp and salinity matched water and did my best to watch them in a specimen container for an hour to see if any others moved. None of them were losely stopped out of the shell like the one was though. I ended up putting them in a line on some rocks and snapping a photo. The ones that don't move by tomorrow will be reexamine and considered dead if that's the case.

Or the crabs will get them.

 

[MnFish1]

So, after about a month and a half of cycling and just letting things mellow, I got my fiest critters delivered. I ordered two mocha clownfish (small ones) along with 5 blue hermits, 3 trochus snails, 2 Astrea snails, and 3 truchus snails. The tank is a 14g IM nevo peninsula. It's always been the plan to get these two fish, and really nothing more than CuC and maybe a showcase/neato invert down the line.

The order was placed with Dr.Reefs quarantined fish as I don't have room to set up a QT and it's worth the money if it's handled for me.

Well, I get a look at the bags, and instead of the small custom cuc I ordered and had discounted from the normal packs of 10, it's full packs of 10.

So I now have 30 snails, and 10 blue leg hermits and 10 scarlet hermits.

For a 14g tank, this is not ideal I feel like.

All animals look healthy after inspection and are currently acclimating/floating. But what on earth can I do here? Just add them and let nature hash it out? Check daily for casualties?

Put them in the tank

 

[Aeiyr]

Put them in the tank

Oh I did. It's a full house in here. I put in a small amount of frozen mysis a half hour ago and everything got excited. Except the clowns. They won't eat but it's only been 8 hours and probly just stress, I'll give them a few days and just do a tiny punch for the crabs and snails until the clowns show interest.

 

[besskurz]

Since u have too many, some or them will die of starvation but the survivors will feed out of the dead snails and crabs and this will run a loop of natural selection. You will end up with the right amount which can feed and live well In the tank.

You can buy "crab cousine " to keep them alive longer if you can't return or give them away.

But the system will equalize within some time. Don't worry.

I personally don't worry as well about removing them if they are dead. A healthy system surely handles a couple of dead crab inside.

 

[besskurz]

1f freshwater sna1ls st1nk when they d1e, 1 can't 1mag1ne saltwater sna1ls...

They are eaten before they get cold.
Crabs are no friends, and they will polish the shells inside out .

 

[seanarino]

They are eaten before they get cold.
Crabs are no friends, and they will polish the shells inside out .

well, st1ll! 1 can't beg1n to 1mag1ne how bad they st1nk when they do d1e.

 

[Aeiyr]

Since u have too many, some or them will die of starvation but the survivors will feed out of the dead snails and crabs and this will run a loop of natural selection. You will end up with the right amount which can feed and live well In the tank.

You can buy "crab cousine " to keep them alive longer if you can't return or give them away.

But the system will equalize within some time. Don't worry.

I personally don't worry as well about removing them if they are dead. A healthy system surely handles a couple of dead crab inside.

Crab Cuisine sounds like something I would order for myself, lol.

When you say it can handle a couple dead ones, even in such a small water volume? aside from not wanting the trochus picked off (mainly because man, I ended up paying 12 bucks for 9 trochus!) My only REAL concern with die-off/natural selection has been ammonia spikes from decay. How quickly could that pile up to the danger zone vs the crab squad and the Nassarius handling it?

 

[besskurz]

Crab Cuisine sounds like something I would order for myself, lol.

When you say it can handle a couple dead ones, even in such a small water volume? aside from not wanting the trochus picked off (mainly because man, I ended up paying 12 bucks for 9 trochus!) My only REAL concern with die-off/natural selection has been ammonia spikes from decay. How quickly could that pile up to the danger zone vs the crab squad and the Nassarius handling it?

Crab cuisine is a very good deal. I have mine pouch for more tha a year, $5 bucks and food forever.

I have myself a 8gal bowl, rn with an big blue leg crab, a shrimp and several bristle worms lol - no fish. They all basically eat this and whatever they find around.
I have before something like 10 crabs - i bought too many- only one is alive still today. They fight each other to steal bigger conch. The strong dominates the tank and eat the others.

If a snail or crab dies... your crab squad will find out very quick. They are there 100% of the time wandering and seeking for food.

Unless its a godzila snail lol they should eat an entire snail in a couple of hours. They love meat. Throw someday a tiny bit of a regular shrimp from supermarket. If your ocellaris did not eat first, crabs won't miss it. They would tear down even a whole fish.

I never checked in the stopwatch while making amnonia tests lol but they are quick. If your tank is cycled, I would not be worried about amnonia spikes due to one or two dead crab.

I only interfere when I see an alive snail flipped upside-down, they can die or be attacked by crabs. Otherwise... let the nature take care.

Good luck!

 

[Aeiyr]

Crab cuisine is a very good deal. I have mine pouch for more tha a year, $5 bucks and food forever.

I have myself a 8gal bowl, rn with an big blue leg crab, a shrimp and several bristle worms lol - no fish. They all basically eat this and whatever they find around.
I have before something like 10 crabs - i bought too many- only one is alive still today. They fight each other to steal bigger conch. The strong dominates the tank and eat the others.

If a snail or crab dies... your crab squad will find out very quick. They are there 100% of the time wandering and seeking for food.

Unless its a godzila snail lol they should eat an entire snail in a couple of hours. They love meat. Throw someday a tiny bit of a regular shrimp from supermarket. If your ocellaris did not eat first, crabs won't miss it. They would tear down even a whole fish.

I never checked in the stopwatch while making amnonia tests lol but they are quick. If your tank is cycled, I would not be worried about amnonia spikes due to one or two dead crab.

I only interfere when I see an alive snail flipped upside-down, they can die or be attacked by crabs. Otherwise... let the nature take care.

Good luck!

Thanks again for all the insight. I admit I really love the invert side of the hobby. I'm actually going to push a full cube of mysis into the sand before bed because all day I have had to swat nassarius snails off of my tired/adjusting trochus snails. I guess the nassarious they sent me came pretty hungry. They must not serve in flight snacks.