Scarlet Reef Hermit Crabs And Nass Snails Not Doing Anything

BigEZ77 · 03/20/2016, 05:59 PM

I noticed my blue legs (10) were attacking alot of my snails even though I'm pretty sure I overfeed to give them lots of food. On Saturday I bought 3 Scarlet Reef hermits and 5 Nass snails and pulled out the blue legs. The scarlets haven't come out once, they went to hide somewhere and I haven't seen them since. The Nass just bury in one spot and don't come up unless I feed (thought they would move around more). Now my sand is browning in the front area close to the glass. Is this usual behavior? Should I put the blue legs back in and suffer some snail casualties or is there another type of crab that cleans as well as blue legs but is safer for the snails?

Edit - Also looking at a fighting conch.

Thanks,

Russell

Natereef · 03/20/2016, 09:24 PM

Hermits will attack a snail to steal its shell. Maybe you can throw in some empty bigger shells for the herms to move in to to prevent them from attacking the snails. As far as nass snails, thats normal. Theyre under the sand 99% of the time when the lights are on but they roam around during the night.

Sinocard · 03/20/2016, 09:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Natereef

Hermits will attack a snail to steal its shell. Maybe you can throw in some empty bigger shells for the herms to move in to to prevent them from attacking the snails. As far as nass snails, thats normal. Theyre under the sand 99% of the time when the lights are on but they roam around during the night.

+1

I stay away from hermits now... Seems no matter how much they eat, or how many bigger shells I put in, they end up killing snails and then eachother for absolutely no reason at all, lol.

Not to say yours will do this. This is just my experience. I decided to choose snails over hermits :P

CStrickland · 03/20/2016, 10:27 PM

Nassarius snails are carnivores, so yeah they'll come out when you feed.
If the tank is new the sand is probs browning from diatoms, which will pass. If it's not new it may be cyano, which snails won't really help. Either way, you don't really want to rely on a CUC to clean your tank. A conch is doing more stirring than eating, and they need a lot of sand to eat off. If your tanks less than 50g I wouldn't get one. Better to fix the source of the issue IMO.

Xxero · 03/21/2016, 12:25 AM

Scarlet Reef Hermit crabs will usually stay in one place for the first few days after you bring them home. It's normal. The new parameters sometimes throw them into molting.

The Nassarius are also probably getting used to things. If you have large granular substrate as opposed to fine, they may not be able to burrow around in it very easily.

Dkuhlmann · 03/21/2016, 04:42 AM

Xxero is correct, the scarlet legged hermits will stay stationary for a few days, not sure why they do this but they do. Scarlet legged hermits are the ONLY crab of any kind that I'll allow in my DT because they do not kill each other, or snails, or corals or fish. They're also great cleaners. The Blue legged hermits will kill for sport, they will kill for a shell they think that they need even though the one they currently have is too big for them. I've moved all of my Blue legged hermits to the sump along with my emerald green crab. He ate two different fish

The Nassarius snails are amazing creatures but they mostly feed at night. They also will keep your sandbed stirred up, they're one of my favorite snails. They do live in the sand.

sde1500 · 03/21/2016, 06:27 AM

I rarely see my Scarlet hermit if I look for it in the day time. Wait until just blues or moonlights are running at night, I always see him out wandering and eating then.

water is wet · 03/21/2016, 06:48 AM

If you're buying them in hopes of not having to stir the sand bed then your going to be disappointed. I've got large and small conchs nassarius snails 30+ different hermits sand sifting stars and sea cucumbers and I still have to stir mine when cleaning.

BigEZ77 · 03/21/2016, 07:54 AM

Thanks for all the helpful info

Quote:

Originally Posted by water is wet

If you're buying them in hopes of not having to stir the sand bed then your going to be disappointed. I've got large and small conchs nassarius snails 30+ different hermits sand sifting stars and sea cucumbers and I still have to stir mine when cleaning.

Do you stir once a week? I assume it make the water pretty cloudy for awhile?

PS. Yes the tank is relatively new so I think it is a diatom bloom. I just leave it that way or should I stir it?

Sk8r · 03/21/2016, 09:18 AM

Nassarius and conchs normally live and work and eat UNDER the sandbed. They surface only when you tempt them out with extra food. Regular hermits are often back in caves where stuff collects.

BigEZ77 · 03/21/2016, 04:37 PM

Thx. What works the top of the sand bed?

PatW · 03/21/2016, 06:00 PM

Tiger conchs are good for grazing on algae on top of the sand. I like them better than fighting conchs.

anthonys51 · 03/21/2016, 06:24 PM

i have a sea cucumber to clean my sand, he keeps it pretty clean. i had a fighting couch but my tank is 57, so he either starved or my Halloween hermits killed him

BigEZ77 · 03/21/2016, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anthonys51

i have a sea cucumber to clean my sand, he keeps it pretty clean. i had a fighting couch but my tank is 57, so he either starved or my Halloween hermits killed him

I would love to get one but am worried about them poisoning the tank if I do something wrong.

anthonys51 · 03/21/2016, 06:35 PM

not really sure what kind i have, but i think its the Tiger Tail, i also was worried about that too, but had mine over a year and been ok. i can even pick him up and move him no problem.
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...712&pcatid=712

BigEZ77 · 03/21/2016, 06:36 PM

Thanks, I might look a little closer at them.

anthonys51 · 03/21/2016, 06:42 PM

but like the others said a cuc isnt in place of good maintenance its just a little helping hand

BigEZ77 · 03/21/2016, 06:57 PM

Yeah, I think my maintenance is pretty good. Regular glass cleaning, weekly 10% water changes, running a skimmer and carbon reactor, etc. Just learned that I should stir my sand bed once a month so will start doing that as well.

killagoby · 03/21/2016, 07:10 PM

A sand sifting blenny will turn that sand over

water is wet · 03/22/2016, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigEZ77

Thanks for all the helpful info

Do you stir once a week? I assume it make the water pretty cloudy for awhile?

PS. Yes the tank is relatively new so I think it is a diatom bloom. I just leave it that way or should I stir it?

I try to do it at least once every other week.

BigEZ77 · 03/22/2016, 07:49 AM

Thanks, but should I do it during a diatom bloom or will it make it worse?

Rakie · 03/22/2016, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by killagoby

A sand sifting blenny will turn that sand over

Which ones are sand sifters?

killagoby · 03/22/2016, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rakie

Which ones are sand sifters?

I've had Lawnmower Blennies do a good job of turning over the sand. Some gobies will do it too

Rakie · 03/23/2016, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by killagoby

I've had Lawnmower Blennies do a good job of turning over the sand. Some gobies will do it too

Thanks. I've read that Diamond Gobies also do an excellent job, and are one of the few that don't spit sand everywhere when they're done.

I had a blenny years ago and it would randomly grab some sand and swim midway up the tank and spit it all over corals / Powerheads.

BigEZ77 · 03/23/2016, 02:45 PM

I've heard the DWG's also spit sand all over everything. There's a bunch of threads on here about it. Some people love them, some people consider them a nightmare.

03/20/2016, 05:59 PM	#1
BigEZ77 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Ottawa ON Canada Posts: 797	Scarlet Reef Hermit Crabs And Nass Snails Not Doing Anything I noticed my blue legs (10) were attacking alot of my snails even though I'm pretty sure I overfeed to give them lots of food. On Saturday I bought 3 Scarlet Reef hermits and 5 Nass snails and pulled out the blue legs. The scarlets haven't come out once, they went to hide somewhere and I haven't seen them since. The Nass just bury in one spot and don't come up unless I feed (thought they would move around more). Now my sand is browning in the front area close to the glass. Is this usual behavior? Should I put the blue legs back in and suffer some snail casualties or is there another type of crab that cleans as well as blue legs but is safer for the snails? Edit - Also looking at a fighting conch. Thanks, Russell

03/20/2016, 10:27 PM	#4
CStrickland Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: New England, U.S. Posts: 4,595	Nassarius snails are carnivores, so yeah they'll come out when you feed. If the tank is new the sand is probs browning from diatoms, which will pass. If it's not new it may be cyano, which snails won't really help. Either way, you don't really want to rely on a CUC to clean your tank. A conch is doing more stirring than eating, and they need a lot of sand to eat off. If your tanks less than 50g I wouldn't get one. Better to fix the source of the issue IMO. __________________ If you're havin tank problems I feel bad for you, son. I got 99 problems but a fish ain't one Current Tank Info: 3/2016 upgrade to 120g. Chalk bass, melanurus, firefish, starry blenny, canary blenny, lyretail anthias, engineer gobys, kole tang. Softies / LPS / NPS. <3 noob4life <3

03/21/2016, 12:25 AM	#5
Xxero Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Oklahoma City Posts: 1,054	Scarlet Reef Hermit crabs will usually stay in one place for the first few days after you bring them home. It's normal. The new parameters sometimes throw them into molting. The Nassarius are also probably getting used to things. If you have large granular substrate as opposed to fine, they may not be able to burrow around in it very easily. __________________ "You Can Lead A Gift Horse To Water... But You Can't Make Him Look In Your Mouth." Current Tank Info: 65g Mixed Reef Display - 15g Macro Algae/Refugium - 40b Sump

03/21/2016, 04:42 AM	#6
Dkuhlmann Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: NW Iowa Posts: 8,823	Xxero is correct, the scarlet legged hermits will stay stationary for a few days, not sure why they do this but they do. Scarlet legged hermits are the ONLY crab of any kind that I'll allow in my DT because they do not kill each other, or snails, or corals or fish. They're also great cleaners. The Blue legged hermits will kill for sport, they will kill for a shell they think that they need even though the one they currently have is too big for them. I've moved all of my Blue legged hermits to the sump along with my emerald green crab. He ate two different fish The Nassarius snails are amazing creatures but they mostly feed at night. They also will keep your sandbed stirred up, they're one of my favorite snails. They do live in the sand. __________________ Previous tanks: 200 gal fowlr 9" Emperor Angel and many different butterfly fish 4" maroon clown and several other fish, 50 gal sump, 40 gal mixed reef/fish mostly softies and LPS. Current Tank Info: 40b 750 gph 45 lbs lr, 2"-3" sand, 165w full spectrum dimable LED, 20 gal sump/refugium 30 lbs lr, Bak Pak 2 skimmer, 4" sock temp 79-80, sg 1.026, NH3 0, NO2 0, NO3 <10, ph 8.2, calc 400, mag 1300

03/21/2016, 06:27 AM	#7
sde1500 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Glocester, RI Posts: 3,336	I rarely see my Scarlet hermit if I look for it in the day time. Wait until just blues or moonlights are running at night, I always see him out wandering and eating then. __________________ My build thread: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2548422 Current Tank Info: 65 gallon mixed reef, Eshopps sump and HOB overflow, RO-110int skimmer, Reefbreeder 32" photons V1.

03/20/2016, 09:24 PM	#2
Natereef Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Posts: 161	Hermits will attack a snail to steal its shell. Maybe you can throw in some empty bigger shells for the herms to move in to to prevent them from attacking the snails. As far as nass snails, thats normal. Theyre under the sand 99% of the time when the lights are on but they roam around during the night.

03/21/2016, 06:48 AM	#8
water is wet Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Angola, Indiana Posts: 235	If you're buying them in hopes of not having to stir the sand bed then your going to be disappointed. I've got large and small conchs nassarius snails 30+ different hermits sand sifting stars and sea cucumbers and I still have to stir mine when cleaning.

03/21/2016, 09:18 AM	#10
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Nassarius and conchs normally live and work and eat UNDER the sandbed. They surface only when you tempt them out with extra food. Regular hermits are often back in caves where stuff collects. __________________ 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%.

03/21/2016, 04:37 PM	#11
BigEZ77 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Ottawa ON Canada Posts: 797	Thx. What works the top of the sand bed?

03/21/2016, 06:00 PM	#12
PatW Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2013 Posts: 275	Tiger conchs are good for grazing on algae on top of the sand. I like them better than fighting conchs.

03/21/2016, 06:24 PM	#13
anthonys51 Registered Member. Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Kings Park, NY Posts: 2,789	i have a sea cucumber to clean my sand, he keeps it pretty clean. i had a fighting couch but my tank is 57, so he either starved or my Halloween hermits killed him

03/21/2016, 06:35 PM	#15
anthonys51 Registered Member. Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Kings Park, NY Posts: 2,789	not really sure what kind i have, but i think its the Tiger Tail, i also was worried about that too, but had mine over a year and been ok. i can even pick him up and move him no problem. http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/p...712&pcatid=712

03/21/2016, 06:36 PM	#16
BigEZ77 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Ottawa ON Canada Posts: 797	Thanks, I might look a little closer at them.

03/21/2016, 06:42 PM	#17
anthonys51 Registered Member. Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Kings Park, NY Posts: 2,789	but like the others said a cuc isnt in place of good maintenance its just a little helping hand

03/21/2016, 06:57 PM	#18
BigEZ77 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Ottawa ON Canada Posts: 797	Yeah, I think my maintenance is pretty good. Regular glass cleaning, weekly 10% water changes, running a skimmer and carbon reactor, etc. Just learned that I should stir my sand bed once a month so will start doing that as well.

03/21/2016, 07:10 PM	#19
killagoby Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Monroe, NJ Posts: 2,150	A sand sifting blenny will turn that sand over __________________ How much money did you spend on that rock again?

03/22/2016, 07:49 AM	#21
BigEZ77 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Ottawa ON Canada Posts: 797	Thanks, but should I do it during a diatom bloom or will it make it worse?

03/23/2016, 02:45 PM	#25
BigEZ77 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Ottawa ON Canada Posts: 797	I've heard the DWG's also spit sand all over everything. There's a bunch of threads on here about it. Some people love them, some people consider them a nightmare.