blue leg hermits ate everysingle snails

[nathenvan]

Every single snails that i put in my tank is being eaten by my blue leg hermits. Not long ago i put around 75 snails into my 65 gallon tank. As of right now none of the snails are alive, I have around 20 hermits. Is there a better way to keep the snails alive? thnkx

 

[Manogr]

Hmmm provide many empty shells bigger than the ones that your hermits currently "wear"...

 

[AquaReeferMan]

Yes the hermits are only killing the snails for their shell. I have many blue legs and many snails and they live together. I just provided enough shells for the ever growing blue legs.

 

[sugarbaker]

and make sure you "right" your snails if you see that they have fallen over... some snails can't correct themselves and become quick meals for hermits.

 

[chucksta1]

Ya gotta love a hermit crab, it will ignore the shells you provided so that it can have a bigger home, and then kill a snail for a fresh condo.

 

[Morphieus5150]

Snails

Snails

My snails are Voracious Predators..Ive seen my white Margarita snails Gang up on some of my Smaller blue leg Hermits and take them out in Minutes...

 

[Paintbug]

how many hermits do you have? what kind of snails where they? how long did they live? how did you acclimate them to the tank?

 

[nathenvan]

thankx for all the helps. sorry i did not have access to the internet for the last 2 days. but here are the snails, i do not know what kind http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...20024291604&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT&rd=1
i have around 20 blue leg hermits

 

[jasob]

I had some larger blue legs that ate all my snails. I bagged them up, took them to the pet store and traded for some small blue legs and bought some more snails. So far everything is ok, that is until the blue legs gorw up I guess.

 

[ACBlinky]

The auction lists them as Ilyanassa obsoleta. These are temperate snails, they don't usually do too well at warmer temperatures. Typically I'd expect this kind of snail to spend quite a bit of time buried in the sand (could be wrong though, I've never kept them) -- if they're not, and just lying on the substrate, they're probably on the way out. Hermits are opportunistic, they may just be preying on weak or dying snails.

 

[petoonia]

How long has your tank been set up?

My hermits started killing each other, then I added a variety of empty shells. Now their all happy again. Every hermit I have has since switched shells.

 

[Paintbug]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8227894#post8227894 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nathenvan
thankx for all the helps. sorry i did not have access to the internet for the last 2 days. but here are the snails, i do not know what kind http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...20024291604&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT&rd=1
i have around 20 blue leg hermits

like ACBlinky said those are Ilyanassa obsoleta. i recently added some that were wild caught here on the eastcoast. i added about 30 and i may have 10 left. i knew they didnt have a good chance of survival, but they were given to me, so i gave them shot. these guys dont do well in the warmer tanks at all. so once they start dieing the hermit are going to get them. its part of nature and part of their job in the tank as the clean up crew. and just about all my hermits have new shells.