Green algae...dang snails

[Wh1t3Rabbit]

So I'm new, as you'll see by the question I'm about to ask.
Small 10G tank with the following happy ecosystem:

1x Yellow Goby + Pistol shrimp (pair)
2 x Clowns
1 x hermit crab (out of the ocean)
1 x Emerald crab
4 x snails (2 different kinds, no idea the type)


So the fake coral rock (concrete, purple, very cool) started turning green and overgrown, and the glass became nearly impossible to keep clear from green & brown algae. So the local shop recommended snail, 2 at a time. The first 2 seemed like they weren't making a dent in the glass buildup so I got 2 more... then...one of the purple shell snails discovered the rock...stripped it clean! Now my Emerald crab who only used to hang out there has nothing to eat, the green stuff is gone and I'm trying to figure out if I give the snails back (the 2 newest) or what.

My thought is to give the one snail that keeps going to the rock back, and trying to regrow the green string algae on the rock (but how to speed that up?)


Thoughts or better more experienced ideas welcome.

 

[SALTY 75]

So I'm new, as you'll see by the question I'm about to ask.
Small 10G tank with the following happy ecosystem:

1x Yellow Goby + Pistol shrimp (pair)
2 x Clowns
1 x hermit crab (out of the ocean)
1 x Emerald crab
4 x snails (2 different kinds, no idea the type)


So the fake coral rock (concrete, purple, very cool) started turning green and overgrown, and the glass became nearly impossible to keep clear from green & brown algae. So the local shop recommended snail, 2 at a time. The first 2 seemed like they weren't making a dent in the glass buildup so I got 2 more... then...one of the purple shell snails discovered the rock...stripped it clean! Now my Emerald crab who only used to hang out there has nothing to eat, the green stuff is gone and I'm trying to figure out if I give the snails back (the 2 newest) or what.

My thought is to give the one snail that keeps going to the rock back, and trying to regrow the green string algae on the rock (but how to speed that up?)


Thoughts or better more experienced ideas welcome.

So you do want the algae or do you not want the algae? if you dont want the algae but you want your emerald crab to be able to eat you could keep the snails and just spot feed the emerald if you wanted.

 

[Phycodurus]

you can also feed the emerald crab dried nori and sinking food pellets as well (maybe 30 minutes after lights out). start out with small portions until the crab recognizes the nori & pellets as food.

 

[Wh1t3Rabbit]

you can also feed the emerald crab dried nori and sinking food pellets as well (maybe 30 minutes after lights out). start out with small portions until the crab recognizes the nori & pellets as food.

I like the long green strands of algae...kinda looked cool and the crab loved hanging there and munching the long strands. The other factor is I travel so I often don't feed them for 2-4 days at a time. I feed pellets and frozen shrimp.

 

[AndyinAtlanta]

I'd probably spot feed the crab. There's a lot of food options out there and you'll have more control over waiting for the algae to return on the rocks. I see it like trying to control the weeds in your yard, you either have weeds or you don't, but there's no point in just trying to keep some weeds around.