Can your tank be too clean?

[mcm13yn]

My hermits are eating my small snails. Any suggestions?

I've stocked my 135 gal tank with the following clean-up crew.

1 Emerald Crab
1 Serpent Star
2 Sand Sifting Stars
2 Large Turbo Snails
20 hermits
10 small margarita snails...dwindling though???

[AustinReefClub]

Sounds like they're hungry. Have you been making sure your hermits have enough food to eat? Hermits also sometimes kill snails for their shells, do you have extra empty hermit shells in your tank?

[mcm13yn]

I haven't been feeding the hermits...what should I be feeding them? I didn't put empty shells in my tank with the thought the hermits would not grow? I would prefer if they stayed the size they are.

[Bill S]

Tried to post this before...

You need lots of empty shells. Hermits occupy empty ones, and need new ones as they grow. They aren't the smartest animals on the planet. The only way they know if a new shell will fit is to try one on. If the shell in question has a critter in it - including a snail - they will attempt to evict them.

[corkyGramma]

What kind of crab exactly, most hermits are not reefsafe-the common type are true scavangers...defeats the purpose of them being a clean up crew if you have to feed them. I believe the blue-legged hermits are reefsafe and some red ones.

[kkiel02]

This is the reason I stopped buying hermits. I just use snails and crabs now with a few hermit survivors. Your hermits need those empty shells btw.

[Mr Cob]

Some crabs are stubborn too! I had a crab...a red leg scarlet and he insited that a shell would fit after he killed the snail. I had tons of shells that were empty and would fit for him but he insisted on trying the same one every week for about 3 months or so until he finally just kept it. It was over sized and looked so funny.

Hermits will always kill snails no matter the scenario. Just part of the reef.

[Mr Cob]

I also have not added any hermits to my new tank. They kill snails and like to pick at my glued frags and detatch them.

[txav8r]

Rob, You also had the biggest emerald crab ever known to man!

[Mr Cob]

LOL! Yep, he had to go too because he started rearranging things. I do keep two small emeralds though. They keep my buble algae down.

But...if they act up they'll go too. I have a no tolerance policy in my tank. See the for sale forum...Sea Urchin is up for grabs. LOL!

I call the shots!!!

[mcm13yn]

What kind of crab exactly, most hermits are not reefsafe-the common type are true scavangers...defeats the purpose of them being a clean up crew if you have to feed them. I believe the blue-legged hermits are reefsafe and some red ones.

Not sure what kind of hermits they are. They are red and I know they are not the blue-legged. I would assume they are reef safe though, the LFS I purchased them from knew I was starting a reef tank.

[SABOB]

Not sure what LFS you purchased them from......don't assume alll LFS employees know what they are doing.Some are very knowledgeable,some just want to make a sale.Research on your own before making purchases.

[ErikH]

yes.

your problem is as Bill described.

Personally, hermits seem to eat ALOT more than snails. Just my O

[AustinReefClub]

Yes, blue and scarlet legged hermits are cleaners, but if there are no food scraps for them they'll seek out something to eat. I don't feed mine specifically but I know that when I put in a cube of mysis that some settles to the bottom where they'll get to eat it.

As for shells, you can't limit a crab's growth just like you can't limit a child. They're going to grow as they age and they will seek out shells that fit. It doesn't matter to them if the shell is already occupied, they'll just evict the snail or other hermit that's in it. That's why if you have hermits you should always have extra empty shells of various sizes in your tank. They're just like the Jeffersons, they're always "moving on up". :)

The good news is that the blue and scarlet legged guys don't grow to be giants, so they will top out at a certain size unlike the ordinary hermits you find in the ocean.

[4fun]

just a question off the wall, hermits don't make their own shell or not?

[barderer]

ahh man I love hermits though. They will knock off a snail every once in a while this is true. In my oldest tank my initial clean up crew was just too large, eventually it balanced itself out and now the same snails and hermits have been living in harmony for years. So I would take a few of your large hermits out as you probably don't need that many. You want your crew running nice and lean so they have plenty of food left over from feedings and poopings etc.

[Third Coast Tropical]

just a question off the wall, hermits don't make their own shell or not?

No, they have to find their shells.

[mabel_photo6]

They steal 'em!! Even if they have to kill a snail! :ph34r:

[vman181]

But...if they act up they'll go too. I have a no tolerance policy in my tank. See the for sale forum...Sea Urchin is up for grabs. LOL!

I call the shots!!!





I have one Emerald hopping he keeps my buble algae down.

But I am and feel the same way!!!!

[devonian]

i too do not have any hermits for this reason. I have snails, Stomatella, serpent stars, and brittle stars.

[Europhyllia]

I love my hermits. No problems whatsoever. And they do a great job cleaning the algae from in between polyps where it would be really tough for me to get to myself (or any other critter I know of). I did pick the least aggressive hermits available though (Mexican Red Tip/Leg).
They've done really well for me. Lots of extra shells. All snails still alive and kicking.

By the way according to Scott Michael's Marine Invertibrates Margarita snails are cool water snails and slowly perish in tanks with tropical temperatures.
Your hermit may indeed be doing their job by cleaning up your dying margaritas...