ohaverd January 23, 2013 January 23, 2013 So I have a medium sized green hermit that I swear every time i look in the tank has a different shell on his back. This leads me to believe he may be shell jacking my snails as I see less and less of them on my glass in the morning. He is the only crab I have, so if I must I'll make him a refugium resident. Am I just being paronoid? And are the smaller blue legged type of crabs safer for the snails?
smallreef January 23, 2013 January 23, 2013 yep... he is probably killing snails and stealing their shells... especially if he does not like any of the shells sitting around.... I usually put in twice as many empty shells as i have hermits...though it does not always help,lol
Spelter January 23, 2013 January 23, 2013 Where can you get empty shells? I also try to get the LFS to toss in afew but it would be nice to just order a handfull.
Decadence January 23, 2013 January 23, 2013 I would recommend getting a melanurus wrasse. They love the taste of crabs.
ohaverd January 23, 2013 Author January 23, 2013 ya I guess the debate is whether to just go crabless or not...
basser9 January 23, 2013 January 23, 2013 Small sallylightfoot crabs are great as are green/red mitrax but hermits to me are old news.
Spelter January 23, 2013 January 23, 2013 I would recommend getting a melanurus wrasse. They love the taste of crabs. I have a melanurus, he only eats the crabs if you forget to feed him
Decadence January 24, 2013 January 24, 2013 I just got one and I think I am down to 2-3 hermits. Luckily he has not gone after my acro crabs yet.
PotomacBoater January 24, 2013 January 24, 2013 my 3 biggest hermits (2" shells) were banished to the sump the only crabs left in my display are much smaller hermits (3/4" shells) and some emeralds (they won't steal shells, but I am still missing a few small fish, so ...)
treesprite January 24, 2013 January 24, 2013 Emerald, aka mithrax, crabs sometimes pick polyps off of sos, and sometimes lay in wait in the little holes the little fish like to go in.... I don't trust them at all.
LCDRDATA January 24, 2013 January 24, 2013 Where can you get empty shells? I also try to get the LFS to toss in afew but it would be nice to just order a handfull. Reefcleaners has small ones for $.07 and medium/large ones for twice that; Reefs2go is more, but they have a mixed lot of 100 for $25. If you've got larger hermits, Michael's (the craft store) periodically has bags of mixed empty shells (not all of which are crab-suitable) for decorating at about $8 a bag, if I'm remembering correctly, although I boil those to make sure they're clean before they go in the tank. I think most LFS have at least some as well.
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