All snail clean up crew

[skyshrimp]

Ok so everytime I feed the tank the hermits go nuts. I target feed my corals sometimes and they run to it and steal the corals food. I never realised how athletic hermit crabs are. So my question is would I be better having a all snail clean up crew or worse off. The hermits crawl aroud all over the corals and always make them retract on a daily basis. Dont know if this is stressfull for corals or not. Any help is appreciated.

 

[scadsobees]

I don't have hermits, so can't compare, but snails will do the same thing. They do tend to stay closer the sand bed, though. Nassarius will steal food, the other kinds will cruise over the corals.

Not to the point of a problem, though. I don't think that you would be any worse off. Time for a reefcleaners order

 

[jdegrasse]

Crabs and coral coexist in the wild. I suspect crabs and other animals walk over the coral carpet all the time. If the crab doesn't eat the coral, I would not worry about it.

 

[Ron Smith]

The crabs also pick things out of cracks and their activity moves debris around in a different way than snails. I think a combination is preferable.

 

[karavak]

I don't have hermits, so can't compare, but snails will do the same thing. They do tend to stay closer the sand bed, though. Nassarius will steal food, the other kinds will cruise over the corals.

Not to the point of a problem, though. I don't think that you would be any worse off. Time for a reefcleaners order

I have the problem of Nassarius climbing onto the open brains when i try to feed them.. It's been a little hard to get a cover over the corals when i feed them just due to positioning.

But it's nature.. I just nudge the snails out of the way.. or wait to see if one gets eaten