CUC no hermits please

Premiere Vapor · 09/26/2014, 08:19 PM

So here's the deal. I need some advice on a CUC with out hermit crabs. I have a 75g show tank and right now I have about 20 hermit crabs ( some red leg, blue leg, and green leg ) The last turbo snail I put in the tank they ate, 1 areo crab eaten, 2 peppermint shrimps gone. All within min. to hours of putting them in the tank.

Can you give me some advice on a good CUC so I can get rid of the hermits.

Right now I have
The hermits listed above
3 emerald crabs
1 astaria snail ( the hermits keep eating these and the turbos i put in )

Golden Age · 09/26/2014, 08:41 PM

I too have a 75gallon 4 ft tank.

I have probably about 6 hermits, red and blue and they never both anything. I have 2 nassarius snails, 1 turbo snail, 4 trochus snails and 1 fighting conch.

My tank stays clean.

I've herd you're supposed to have a lot more, but these 15 pieces of CUC have worked for me.

Shawn O · 09/27/2014, 07:04 AM

Your peppermints are probably still there (unless you've witnessed them being eaten) and are hiding. Lots of animals have been reported to go into hiding for a few weeks~months after being added to the tank.

I know (from experience) that many land hermit crab species prefer turbo snail shells over other types . You could try other types of snails, ones with different shell opening shapes, like nassarius or turban snails which may not interest the hermits. Also, make sure you have several (per hermit) extra shells for them to switch between. Turbo shells are common and cheap. You can place them behind your rock structures to keep them out of sight. Hermits will kill snails for their shells if they don't feel they have choices of extra shells available, they will also fight each other for the shells the other guy has. Provide plenty of extras that are the same size and slightly larger than the ones they are wearing at the moment.

Also, if you have lots of snails, you are more likely that they will reproduce in the tank providing replacements for those that have been eaten or died of other causes.

firemountain · 09/27/2014, 07:07 AM

I had three hermits and loved them BUT....one went rogue on me so he was decommissioned to my sump. The other fell off a rock and got flipped over. He crawled out of his shell to turn back over....and my fire shrimp picked him off. Now I decommissioned my fire shrimp to my sump as well.

Personally..while I love the hermits.....I would just stick with snails and shrimp to clean the tank.

Mark9 · 09/27/2014, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golden Age

I too have a 75gallon 4 ft tank.

I have probably about 6 hermits, red and blue and they never both anything. I have 2 nassarius snails, 1 turbo snail, 4 trochus snails and 1 fighting conch.

My tank stays clean.

I've herd you're supposed to have a lot more, but these 15 pieces of CUC have worked for me.

+1 on this.
Other than not having the turbo, this is pretty much what I have.
Works very well.

Paul B · 09/27/2014, 07:51 AM

ca1ore · 09/27/2014, 10:24 AM

Lots of hermits in my tank too, no problems. You need to provide some empty shells for the hermits to use otherwise they will eat the turbos for their shells.

Premiere Vapor · 09/27/2014, 10:35 AM

Do you guys put anything extra in the tank like silver sides to feed the hermits?

And what about acclimation? Some vendors say just float the bag for 15 min. some say just put them in, and others say drip acclimate.

Sk8r · 09/27/2014, 10:58 AM

I've never lost a snail to hermits. I use scarlets and a variety else. Some snails don't fare well in our tanks (margaritas are coldwater; turbos and astraeas fall over and starve because they don't do sand) and some do. Ceriths are a good choice. Ditto nerites.

I never acclimate crabs or snails, personally. I wash them off in tank water to be sure they're clean, then put them in.

09/26/2014, 08:19 PM	#1
Premiere Vapor Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 15	CUC no hermits please So here's the deal. I need some advice on a CUC with out hermit crabs. I have a 75g show tank and right now I have about 20 hermit crabs ( some red leg, blue leg, and green leg ) The last turbo snail I put in the tank they ate, 1 areo crab eaten, 2 peppermint shrimps gone. All within min. to hours of putting them in the tank. Can you give me some advice on a good CUC so I can get rid of the hermits. Right now I have The hermits listed above 3 emerald crabs 1 astaria snail ( the hermits keep eating these and the turbos i put in )

09/27/2014, 07:04 AM	#3
Shawn O Registered Member Join Date: May 2014 Location: People's Communist Republic of Massachusetts Posts: 1,474	Your peppermints are probably still there (unless you've witnessed them being eaten) and are hiding. Lots of animals have been reported to go into hiding for a few weeks~months after being added to the tank. I know (from experience) that many land hermit crab species prefer turbo snail shells over other types . You could try other types of snails, ones with different shell opening shapes, like nassarius or turban snails which may not interest the hermits. Also, make sure you have several (per hermit) extra shells for them to switch between. Turbo shells are common and cheap. You can place them behind your rock structures to keep them out of sight. Hermits will kill snails for their shells if they don't feel they have choices of extra shells available, they will also fight each other for the shells the other guy has. Provide plenty of extras that are the same size and slightly larger than the ones they are wearing at the moment. Also, if you have lots of snails, you are more likely that they will reproduce in the tank providing replacements for those that have been eaten or died of other causes. Last edited by Shawn O; 09/27/2014 at 07:12 AM.

09/27/2014, 07:51 AM	#6
Paul B Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 15,549	__________________ I used to get shocked when I put my hand in my tank. Then the electric eel went dead. Current Tank Info: 100 gal reef set up in 1971

09/27/2014, 10:24 AM	#7
ca1ore Grizzled & Cynical Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Stamford, CT Posts: 17,319	Lots of hermits in my tank too, no problems. You need to provide some empty shells for the hermits to use otherwise they will eat the turbos for their shells. __________________ Simon Got back into the hobby ..... planned to keep it simple ..... yeah, right ..... clearly I need a new plan! Pet peeve: anemones host clowns; clowns do not host anemones! Current Tank Info: 450 Reef; 120 refugium; 60 Frag Tank, 30 Introduction tank; multiple QTs

09/27/2014, 10:58 AM	#9
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	I've never lost a snail to hermits. I use scarlets and a variety else. Some snails don't fare well in our tanks (margaritas are coldwater; turbos and astraeas fall over and starve because they don't do sand) and some do. Ceriths are a good choice. Ditto nerites. I never acclimate crabs or snails, personally. I wash them off in tank water to be sure they're clean, then put them in. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

09/26/2014, 08:41 PM	#2
Golden Age Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Posts: 94	I too have a 75gallon 4 ft tank. I have probably about 6 hermits, red and blue and they never both anything. I have 2 nassarius snails, 1 turbo snail, 4 trochus snails and 1 fighting conch. My tank stays clean. I've herd you're supposed to have a lot more, but these 15 pieces of CUC have worked for me.

09/27/2014, 07:07 AM	#4
firemountain Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Bergen County, NJ Posts: 1,033	I had three hermits and loved them BUT....one went rogue on me so he was decommissioned to my sump. The other fell off a rock and got flipped over. He crawled out of his shell to turn back over....and my fire shrimp picked him off. Now I decommissioned my fire shrimp to my sump as well. Personally..while I love the hermits.....I would just stick with snails and shrimp to clean the tank.

09/27/2014, 10:35 AM	#8
Premiere Vapor Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 15	Do you guys put anything extra in the tank like silver sides to feed the hermits? And what about acclimation? Some vendors say just float the bag for 15 min. some say just put them in, and others say drip acclimate.