Clean up Crew in my Tank

The snails going to the surface is pretty normal.

Nassarius snails are great for your sandbed, cerith snails, and scarlet hermits.

Get some larger empty shells from your LFS, when your hermits molt and need bigger real estate they will have empty shells which will prevent the killing of snails

 

I gave up on hermit crabs and snails coexisting peacefully a long time ago. I can't get them to co-habitate. My hermits constantly killed any of my snails. So for me snails only, no hermits.

 

Wish there was a way I like this a hundred times!!!!!!

 

I too run a crab free reef. The only crab I'd ever even possibly think of considering, if I felt crazy enough, would be a smooth acropora crab. Even they scare me a bit.

 

Awesome thanks! i did not realize that they would eat the snails. I have 4 snails accounted for at the moment still 1 went missing. The new set of Crabs has done a good job so far in the past 24 hours with cleaning rocks and such. 3 of the 4 snails are dong great on the glass and coming and some of the rocks. 1 is just hanging out on the top of the tank but he is moving around at least. Thanks Again!

 

Thanks Mr. Bill! The new set of crabs are dong a good job so far things are looking cleaner in the last 24 hours already. I will go to the suggested site and fill out the form. Any little bit that can help me get better at the hobby, especially if it has to do with 3Reef! Thanks Again!

 

Hey Va! why crab free in your opinion? Really curious?

Thanks!

 

Snails can do everything crabs can do, (maybe with the exception of eating bubble algae by emerald crabs). Snails don't kill each other. They are not opportunistic. I just don't see a point in crabs, the only snails I've lost in a year are the ones that crawl out. My last tank with crabs I was replacing snails constantly.

This is just my opinion. I'm pretty happy with my SPS reef without crabs.

 

Personally, I started adding crabs for the "cool" factor, but soon realized it comes with a price, and I've since stopped. True crabs, as stated, usually become opportunistic as they mature, wreaking havoc on a variety of tankmates. The dwarf reef hermits don't normally bother anything other than snails, and usually then it's because they're starving or in need of a larger shell.

 

You guys were pinched as children weren't you? Lol crab haters....:-(