Confused about crabs and corals.. pleaaaaaase help!

[Hazel6880]

Ok I've read sooo many conflicting articles and gotten so much contradicting advice from LFS's about whether or not hermit crabs are reef safe.. Can some please give me an accurate response as to whether or not I should have them in my tank...

I have had a FOWLR tank since last May.. my water parameters were finally perfect (Ph- normal, Alk- normal, Nitrate- 0, Nitrite- 0, Ammonia- 0) so I thought I could finally start bringing home some corals.. I bought a glove polyp and have had it for about two weeks.... every time I come home another polyp piece has been shredded.. and the rest of the polyps pieces are shriveled up.. by now only one opens.. I thought it was my crabs and took them out but am scared that maybe I'm over looking some thing. If crabs are reef safe.. what's going on?

I really appreciate any insight anyone can offer....

Tank Specs-
75 Gallon All Glass Aquarium
Fluval Canister Filter with carbon and bio media
Aqua C Remora Skimmer w Maxijet 1200
Coralife Aqualight Pro
75lbs Fiji and Tonga LR
1" Live Sand and Ooltic sand bed
2 Turbo Snails
1 Margarita Snail
2 Cleaner Shrimp
1 Pajama Cardinal
2 Ocellaris Clowns
1 Lawnmower Blenny
1 Orange Spotted Goby
1 Coral Beauty Angel
1 Glove Polyp

 

[Anonymous]

I'd be more concerned with the (Centropyge bispinosa) Coral Beauty than the hermit crabs.

mario

 

[Hazel6880]

Mariob.. thanks for your response!.. I just called my "trusty" LFS to ask about the Coral Beauty.. (which I found numerous conflicting articles on whether or not they are reef safe)...and they said they are "perfectly reef safe" and suggested maybe the polyp is just disintegrating b/c "corals are like fish.. sometimes they just die" considering how expensive corals... that response is pretty scary! lol I'm kinda at a loss for words right now :?

 

[Anonymous]

Some coral beauty have proved to not touch corals but it's in their nature to nip. I, myself, would not take that chance.

Take Mario's advice.

 

[mr_X]

my coral beauty was ferocious. picked at every fish until they were all so stressed, tattered fins, they all hid, developed ich, i didn't give it a long enough chance to go after corals....off the the LFS it went.
i never witnessed my hermits messing with corals, just killing my snails P.O'd me a bit.
emerald crabs were another story, small they were cool, but as soon as they grew, they developed a taste for polyps.

 

[Joew]

Coral Beauty like any of the mini-angels can be polyp eaters. Seems to be a individual thing so your milaege may vary

Joe W
_________________
JT Sports

 

[The_Orca]

Hermits are great. They crawl around cleaning the tank. The only problem I have is, if they get big they might dislodge corals as they climb around the tank. No big deal though if they fall off the rock just place them back on. eventually they will attach to the rock. Hermits are very beneficial.
Don't be anti hermit. LOL