First saltwater tank questions

[Palindromebaby]

So my tank has been up and running since black Friday and I have some questions. Tank is a 12 gal Biocube with the florescent lights.

Hermit crab molts. How often do they molt? I swear I see body parts only to do a head count and only one is actually missing so far. My large two scarlett leg crabs seems to molt constantly. My electric blue just molted again as well. Also how many extra shells do you offer? I am really not liking the messy look of having extra shells everywhere.

Snails. I know that I have had some snails kick the bucket or killed by crabs for their shells? How normal is it to lose snails after a couple months? I have plenty of algae so they aren't starving.

Algae. I am struggling to keep my tank clean. I am so worried about damaging the acrylic tank that I use the magnet that came with it and nothing else. And as soon as I stir up sand I stop for awhile. Is there any other tool I can use without damage? And that actually works on the bowed front?

That's all for now! Thanks!

 

[S.O.MLemos]

I think your worrying to much about minor things while your tank is still so new. Your going to have algae blooms for the first few months but as long as your researching everything you do and not using tap water things will stabilize soon. I always put an assortment of different snails in my tank and replenish them from time to time because yes the hermits take what they want even to a smaller shell sometimes.(cerith snails seem to be the hermits favorite, nassarius snails do wonders in the sand, margaritas don’t seem to last long for me, astrea snails seem to be indestructible because I’ve never lost one, turbo snails are amazing lawn mowers of hair algae but I’m not sure I’d put one in a 12 gallon at least not for long, and bumblebees are just for aesthetics to me) I had a 29 biocube last year and it scratched if I walked by it lol. I ended up just cleaning it with my hand and sponge. It also just had the fluorescents so I could never get it below 82 degrees so I sold it instead of buying LEDs. Lots of people on here have Biocube’s though and they look pretty good so you might follow some of their threads. I wish you the best of luck and just be as patient as you can. This forum is great if you have any questions, I always look to see if someone else asked first so I don’t feel so stupid lol

 

[Tahoe61]

Hermit crabs are brutal to other hermits and snails, it's their nature. I prefer dwarf hermits because they can not inflict much damage to any thing other than other dwarf hermits.
As posted your tank is going to go through the uglies for the first 3 months.
I used a mag float on my old acrylic and a very minimal sand bed to avoid dragging sand on mag float.
Just let the sandbed be for awhile no need to clean it.

Welcome to the hobby.

 

[TonyNguyen]

Hermit are pretty bad with some snails, I had a 1/2" hermit killed my 1.5" turbos. If you have acrylic use the Tunze magnet care. You can go on the sand and be safe they are not suppose to pick up any sand. And if you scratch your acrylic you can always buff it up with a pad, even with livestock inside your nano.

https://www.amazon.com/Tunze-Care-M...rd_wg=ct9LI&psc=1&refRID=K3RYMVY2CP8VDEKK98PG