hermit crab questions?

bboy aqua · 05/28/2006, 12:47 AM

right now in my 10g i have 2 hemits
i just want to know if they are necessary for a good reef system because I just bought 1 turbo snail and it cost me 8 BUCKS
yah not a typo....$8
in hawaii its hard to find these in lfs and I think only 1 lfs here sell them
when I put the turbo in there, my hermits attacked it so i threw both of them in the sump
not literely threw them
I want to know what I should do
like by another turbo or 2 and let them spawn or so i can have a large supply and add the hermits later and not have to worry
or
just keep one turbo and leave the hemits in the sump or get rid of them(thats is if its not worth the money to buy another turbo)

any other recommendations,opinions or diferent ways to do this are welcome

reefnetworth · 05/28/2006, 12:54 AM

your snails, are they red-legged? they are canibalistic too. sounds like they might be starving also. try shrimp pellets broken in half. that is a high price for a snail, but a loaf of bread and jar of PB was $8.00 when i was there 12 yrs ago. REEF-ON!!!

bboy aqua · 05/28/2006, 01:00 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by nano4brains
your snails, are they red-legged? they are canibalistic too. sounds like they might be starving also. try shrimp pellets broken in half. that is a high price for a snail, but a loaf of bread and jar of PB was $8.00 when i was there 12 yrs ago. REEF-ON!!!

huh?
are u talkin about the snails or hermits?
a red legged snail?

hairymushroom · 05/28/2006, 01:13 AM

The hermits most likely need new shells , so they attacked the snail for its shell. add a couple shells larger than their current ones and see what happens.

bboy aqua · 05/28/2006, 01:16 AM

how fast do turbos reproduce?
i would like to add a few more and let them reproduce then add the hermits back in

auto_loader · 05/28/2006, 06:46 AM

If you stick to scarlet reef hermits then you will have a lot less of the problem with the hermits eating the snails. I think both snails and hermits are good adn beneficial to have in a reef tank. They do a great job keeping things clean. Some people will not put hermits in their system for the reason you describe, but I have not experienced a problem with the scarlets and snails.

Paintbug · 05/28/2006, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by bboy aqua
how fast do turbos reproduce?
i would like to add a few more and let them reproduce then add the hermits back in

snails will produce eggs quite often in the aquarium, but they dont have much of a chance to survive. you will need a seperate tank setup just for breeding snails. its much more envolved than just putting 2 snails in a tank and hoping for the best.

05/28/2006, 12:47 AM	#1
bboy aqua Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: in your closet Posts: 670	hermit crab questions? right now in my 10g i have 2 hemits i just want to know if they are necessary for a good reef system because I just bought 1 turbo snail and it cost me 8 BUCKS yah not a typo....$8 in hawaii its hard to find these in lfs and I think only 1 lfs here sell them when I put the turbo in there, my hermits attacked it so i threw both of them in the sump not literely threw them I want to know what I should do like by another turbo or 2 and let them spawn or so i can have a large supply and add the hermits later and not have to worry or just keep one turbo and leave the hemits in the sump or get rid of them(thats is if its not worth the money to buy another turbo) any other recommendations,opinions or diferent ways to do this are welcome

05/28/2006, 12:54 AM	#2
reefnetworth Premium Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 3,810	your snails, are they red-legged? they are canibalistic too. sounds like they might be starving also. try shrimp pellets broken in half. that is a high price for a snail, but a loaf of bread and jar of PB was $8.00 when i was there 12 yrs ago. REEF-ON!!! __________________ GIVE A MAN A FISH, YOU FEED HIM FOR A DAY. TEACH A MAN TO FISH, HE FEEDS HIMSELF FOR LIFE. (NEVER, underestimate another man's greed) Current Tank Info: SPS dominated barebottom display with BB sump since 2005, most consistant parameters in 19+ years of reefkeeping.

05/28/2006, 01:13 AM	#4
hairymushroom Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: South Africa Posts: 315	The hermits most likely need new shells , so they attacked the snail for its shell. add a couple shells larger than their current ones and see what happens.

05/28/2006, 01:16 AM	#5
bboy aqua Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: in your closet Posts: 670	how fast do turbos reproduce? i would like to add a few more and let them reproduce then add the hermits back in

05/28/2006, 06:46 AM	#6
auto_loader Premium Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: Rochelle, IL Posts: 585	If you stick to scarlet reef hermits then you will have a lot less of the problem with the hermits eating the snails. I think both snails and hermits are good adn beneficial to have in a reef tank. They do a great job keeping things clean. Some people will not put hermits in their system for the reason you describe, but I have not experienced a problem with the scarlets and snails.