Hermit crabs safe for nems?
- Thread starter TriggersAmuck
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OP
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TriggersAmuck
Well-Known Member
Aside from the BTAs eat them?My nems love eating snails and hermits.
@D-Nak - Does the supposed benefits of picking at algae merit the PITA ("pain in the anemone"
factor in adding hermits? Now that I'm on a full lighting schedule I'm starting to get long hair algae forming at the top surfaces fo the rockwork where previously it was sterilely clean.
D-Nak
Valuable Member
well, this is a bit off topic, but I typically pick either hermits or snails and not both. No matter the species of hermit, they always kill smaller snails to steal their shells.
But yes, I think both snails and hermits are worth having in an anemone tank to keep the undesirable algae to a minimum. BTAs are less notorious for eating your CUC than say, carpets or magnifica.
But yes, I think both snails and hermits are worth having in an anemone tank to keep the undesirable algae to a minimum. BTAs are less notorious for eating your CUC than say, carpets or magnifica.
I keep both hermits and snails, I have less issues with snails being killed and more issues with the hermits stealing food from coral. My trochus, nerite and cerith spend most of the time on the glass away from the hermits and my nassarius spend most of the time in the sand, also away from the hermits. But come feeding time and the hermits are straight up thieves.
OP
OP
TriggersAmuck
Well-Known Member
Am I right in assuming that snails do minimal cleaning on rockwork? My glass is pretty easy to maintain, but with the sudden increase in algae growth on the rock I can see that is going to be my challenge with this tank (at least as currently stocked, which I realize is a bit heavy). The trade off is I do very sizable (9-10 gallon) changes every week due to the ease (out of a total volume of about 12 gallons real water volume). Adding inverts might make those size changes less feasible considering their greater sensitivity to sudden changes like that. I mean I do match the salinity and temp very closely, and the frequency of the changes means the the alk/ca/mg parameters shouldn't fluctuate too much.
Uncle99
10K Club member
I have never kept one crab ever in my DT and I have no algae.
I do keep a few snails
Virtually useless in algae management.
Now my YT, he does a good job.
Keeping excellent water parameters both in level and minimal flux and balanced photoperiod is all I use
I do keep a few snails
Virtually useless in algae management.
Now my YT, he does a good job.
Keeping excellent water parameters both in level and minimal flux and balanced photoperiod is all I use
eraserhead187
Active Member
Never had an issue. They don't pester the nems too much and the nems don't seem to care about them.
