Hermit crabs your thoughts

[reefann]

I have heard very mixed things about hermit crabs. I have a 210g that needs a clean-up crew I currently have around 45 hermits in my tank. A mixture of red-legs and blue-legs. I have heard that blue legs will eat corraline algae and red legs will not is this true? If so is it worth only getting red ones? Some people say do not get any hermit crabs what are your thoughts on this. I also have about 7 turbo snails and a queen conch. What do you think the best clean-up crew is made up of. I know my clean-up crew needs many additions but before I add more I would like to know what the best move would be.
Thanks for any info that can be supplied
JJ
_________________
Health Injuries & Problems Forum

 

[NaCl-H2O]

I like scarlet hremits they seem to be the lest aggressive. And I use more snails then hermits. Margaritas, nassarius and cerith snails as my algae eaters and scavengers.

 

[EmilyB]

I don't keep hermits anymore. Well, I have one...it wears a turbo snail shell and lives in a secluded area....

Hermits are a thing of the past. There are so many better, safer, things to put in.

 

[shalegac]

I've had many hermits but slowly but surely they are dying off due to a scarlet hermit who is about twice the size of all others. He has the biggest shell which is weird. But if anything I think hermits are fun to watch. There are plenty of other things for a clean up crew. Hermits can add some diversity but I'd keep them minimal.

 

[Bluetangclan]

I am a big fan of hermits, especially zebra hermits. I only have one blue legged butsince he doesnt have his gang he doesnt cause any trouble. My Crimsons are lazy for some reason and just sit in their shells looking out, one just molted so I think water is good. Zebras are superactive nd fun to watch. I just picked up two oddballs who are as yet unidentified but they munch the hell out of algae. I have alot of snails for mss cleanup work who are unmolested by the crabs. Hermits provide the abilty to reach into places snails cant. Emerald crabs and a Sally Lightfoot are two other great investments.

 

[Anonymous]

the clean up crew will naturally occur without the addition of anything but live rock. i see no reason for hermits or snails.

snails tend to pop up without adding them.

i dislike snails and hermits, they are always knockin frags off rocks.

 

[Newts]

The only problem I've ever had with hermits is they will try to take food from corals when I target feed the corals.Other then that I've never seen them hurt anything in the 3+ years of reef keeping.

 

[ReefLion]

I also enjoy hermits for their own antics. I keep a mix of blue legs and scarlets in somewhat low numbers -- about 10-12 blues and 3-4 scarlets in a 40 gallon tank. In my experience, the blue legs are more predatory of snails, so when they get any bigger than a half inch or so, I swap them back to the LFS for little ones. The scarlets I allow to grow bigger, and have not had any problems.

Tim

 

[aquarist=broke]

The only problem I've ever had with hermits is they will try to take food from corals when I target feed the corals.Other then that I've never seen them hurt anything in the 3+ years of reef keeping.

Ditto to the above.

The fish miss alot of stuff, but it get's hunted by my hermits.

 

[SPC]

Posted by Pod:

the clean up crew will naturally occur without the addition of anything but live rock.

-Are you saying that you believe the total clean up crew comes from live rock?

i see no reason for hermits or snails.

-Nature does :wink: .

snails tend to pop up without adding them.

-What species of snails are "popping" up in your tank?

Steve

 

[ScottC]

Hermits will also attack your turbos for their shells. They will actually gang up on a snail, flip it over and duke it out over who gets the prize.

 

[beerbaron]

no hermits here. cept one for fun. i did a revamp of my cleanup crew a year ago, and i have seen a huge increase in the amount of creatures in my tank (including coraline growth) since i removed all but one of my hermits. i replaced them however with a conch in order to keep the sand surface clean. try taking out the hermits and throwing them in your sump. you will see a major improvement imo. ohh and i've seen no difference in aggression between red and blue legged.
HTH
BB

 

[Anonymous]

Are you saying that you believe the total clean up crew comes from live rock?

i am saying that the live rock, when left to mature, will provide it's own cleanup. bristles and pods will do as good or better a job than a hermit.

Quote:
i see no reason for hermits or snails.


-Nature does

i have never seen a real reef in person, but i hear there are very few, if any hermits on the reef slope or crest. do you know different?

Quote:
snails tend to pop up without adding them.


-What species of snails are "popping" up in your tank?

i got the liitle pink ones, the liitle brown ones, the small abalone looking ones, the cowries with the hairy tentacle looking things..... i don't know the names, i didn't plan on their residence :wink:

 

[smokin reefer]

"Hermits are a thing of the past"
Mabe in your tank, but not in mine or natures. I do not have any problems with the hermits.

Hermits will also attack your turbos for their shells. They will actually gang up on a snail, flip it over and duke it out over who gets the prize.

This is just plain a false statement. The hermits will only eat things that are dead, or almost dead.

To answer your question and not just beat up on the hermits. I would not add any more hermits if you already have 45 in their. Some more turbo snails would be a good addition if you like them. They harm nothing. Also some of the spagetti worms for the sand would be good. I also like the sand burring snails. Also harmless. I can't think of the name of them right now, mabe someone could help me out with this one.

 

[Anonymous]

This is just plain a false statement. The hermits will only eat things that are dead, or almost dead.

this is a false statement.

i don't proclaim hermits to be without merit. i simply dislike them because of the mischief they get into, but to say they don't prey upon snails is an incorrect saying.

if people like hermits then by all means, keep them. but, if they keep them because they believe them to be a neccessity in a reef tank, then i call BS.

 

[reefann]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I asked this question mainly because people are telling me 1 hermit per gallon is best. I like some but that is just so much. Well i do like turbo snails added 10 yesterday! I feel they harm nothing and for me are doing a great job? BeerBaron you said that you revampted you clean-up crew last year what was added? And could people tell me what the bigger and better things are so I can add some. I have one queen conch in my tank does anyone know the fully grown size of one??
Thanks again everyone!!!
JJ
BTW BeerBaron Simpsons ROCK!!
_________________
Mercedes 300SL

 

[SPC]

Posted by Pod:

i am saying that the live rock, when left to mature, will provide it's own cleanup. bristles and pods will do as good or better a job than a hermit.

-I agree that live rock does produce some of the clean up crew but definately is lacking in the animals that make up a DSB. Many of these animals cannot be found on live rock, their home is in the sand.

i have never seen a real reef in person, but i hear there are very few, if any hermits on the reef slope or crest. do you know different?

-Yes there are hermits on a reef and plenty of snails.

i got the liitle pink ones, the liitle brown ones, the small abalone looking ones, the cowries with the hairy tentacle looking things..... i don't know the names, i didn't plan on their residence

-Well I guess we all have a few of these types of snails, but IMO there aren't enough of them to keep up with the duties I hope to have snails perform. I purchase specific snails for specific jobs.

Posted by reefann:

I have one queen conch in my tank does anyone know the fully grown size of one??

-About 12" 8O .
Steve

 

[Anonymous]

-I agree that live rock does produce some of the clean up crew but definately is lacking in the animals that make up a DSB. Many of these animals cannot be found on live rock, their home is in the sand.

what are you housing that isn't found in LR?

 

[SPC]

Posted by Pod:

what are you housing that isn't found in LR?

-Well I haven't done a microscopic analysis of my sand :wink: , but from my reading of Dr Ron and Rob Toonen, it is apparent that a diversity of DSB animals cannot come from live rock (two seperate environements). This is why I went to great efforts in order to acquire DSB packages and different samples of sand from established tanks.
Steve

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I asked this question mainly because people are telling me 1 hermit per gallon is best. I like some but that is just so much. Well i do like turbo snails added 10 yesterday! I feel they harm nothing and for me are doing a great job? BeerBaron you said that you revampted you clean-up crew last year what was added? And could people tell me what the bigger and better things are so I can add some. I have one queen conch in my tank does anyone know the fully grown size of one??
Thanks again everyone!!!
JJ
BTW BeerBaron Simpsons ROCK!!

a few thoughts...

first-gallonage has absolutely NOTHING to do with calculating hermits, turbos, or watts :wink:

cleaning critters are a matter of the SURFACE AREA of what you want to clean :wink:

having said that-of most of the 'clean up crew' fauna typically offered to hobbyists,it has been my experience that hermits and turbos are not only mostly ineffective,but completely unnecessary for 'cleaning' a tank.

the best cleanup crew is the person who runs the tank :wink: (sand bed fauna aside-the right group of sand stirrers ARE important)

i definitely agree w/steve in that live rock, while providing some of the sb fauna-will not deliver the 'complete package' needed for truly proper sb functioning-some of the critters simply aren't found in lr.

i also agree w/pod-hermits will actively kill snails for the shells-i've watched them do it on countless occasions.

i personally think that turbo grazers and hermits are one of the most overhyped critters offered by companies for 'cleanup' on the market.

i started w/both, and then got a little bit wiser-learned about how to eliminate algae through proper management. :wink:

there is absolutely no reason whatsoever,for anyone to have an almost algae free tank, that may require a light wipe of the glass, bimonthly, to get rid of nuisance micro algae.

coralline is a different story :wink:

i will never understand why people think that adding more phosphate, and ammonia producing organisms, is going to get rid of algae-it is only 'adding fuel to the fire' :wink: