destructive hermits

[forrestcook]

Anyone else here fed up with hermits? I was thrilled to have them when I first started my tank since I've never had SW before, but the honeymoon period is over.

These guys go insane when I feed brine or any other frozen food. I'm trying to feed my corals but these little jerks crawl all over them and steal the food away, sometimes tearing the tissue of the coral in the process.

I try to feed the hermits far away just to avoid this, but they seem to never get full. It's gotten to the point that I'll physically take the hermit to the other side of the tank and shove him underground so it takes a bit for them to surface and steal the food.

Do you all have hermits in your reef tanks? What are your solutions? Would I miss out of something important if I removed them? or at least SOME of them? How many do I NEED in a 40 breeder?

 

[Bifferwine]

I've never met a hermit yet that won't steal food from corals and won't kill snails for their shells. Even if I've put tons of extra shells in the tank for them.

You do not need any hermits in your tank. In fact, a lot of people use hermit-free cleaner crews for this reason. At this point, I only have maybe 2 or 3 hermits in my 90 gallon tank. I've gotten rid of the rest of them. You can find cleaners to take their place. Instead you can use several types of snails, starfish, urchins, reef-safe crabs and shrimp.

 

[killafornia]

Ha Crabs try long spine sea urchin! Mine is the size of a basketball and acts like a bulldozer to my corals I stuck my hand in the tank to shoo him off a riddler chalice and I got stabbed ! It's no joke they hurt. But on another note I don't have any in my tank so I don't think there a must have all personal preference. Johnny has so much you can't see his sand

 

[scubabum1983]

im myself fed up with hermits and jawfish.... my hermits were eating 40 bucks worth of macro before i figured out what they were up to. and today i put 6 new chromis in my 140 and they were great until my dusky decided he needed a snack and just up and ate one.

 

[fishaholic911]

I've never met a hermit yet that won't steal food from corals and won't kill snails for their shells. Even if I've put tons of extra shells in the tank for them.

You do not need any hermits in your tank. In fact, a lot of people use hermit-free cleaner crews for this reason. At this point, I only have maybe 2 or 3 hermits in my 90 gallon tank. I've gotten rid of the rest of them. You can find cleaners to take their place. Instead you can use several types of snails, starfish, urchins, reef-safe crabs and shrimp.

+1

I have not purchased a crab in 8 years and do not think you need them.
If you want to get rid of them my tusk would love to have a snack.

 

[ynnhoj86]

im myself fed up with hermits and jawfish.... my hermits were eating 40 bucks worth of macro before i figured out what they were up to. and today i put 6 new chromis in my 140 and they were great until my dusky decided he needed a snack and just up and ate one.

your jawfish ate a chromis?! Sahweet!!!

 

[ynnhoj86]

Johnny has so much you can't see his sand

haha i dont have that many, but i think they are useful because they eat extra food, clean corals skeleton if there is decay on them, and they just cruise all day looking for algae and stuff

 

[sillygoose]

I actually like mine too. I hate junk and stuff on my sand and mine do a pretty good job of clean up. I get the most annoyed when they knock stuff off that I've glued. Some just seen more ill-behaved than others too. I have about a dozen small ones in my 90.

 

[xpertrifle]

I got rid of all my hermits, instead I have snails, a pink decorator urchin and arrow crabs too do the clean up. I had some cleaner shrimp and coral banded but my lion or harlaquin made short work of them.

 

[Nor_Cal_Guy]

I have about 15 in my 72g. I love my sand sifter goby for clean up. He is a worker.

 

[savageAJC]

yea im down to maybe about 2 hermits in my tank, and that is too much for me! i got tired of them stealing food and knocking stuff over too. but I do need something to keep my sandbed clean, my pistol does a good job mixing up my sand bed, but there are places he doesnt build tunnels and debris likes to settle. do sifter gobys eat all thr good stuff in your sand bed?

and lol @ your jawfish..reminds me of when I use to keep cichlids!

 

[abfds001]

I had a hermit in my main tank that became so destructive that I banished him to the Mantis tank. He has become so timid that he only comes out at night to feed on scraps. He once came out during the day and the Mantis was smacking the hell out of his shell he no alternative but return to his corner. If he dare to be out during the day he clamps himself to a rock and doesn't move till he feels it safe to do so.

 

[savageAJC]

:hammer: lmao poor thing

 

[Bifferwine]

yea im down to maybe about 2 hermits in my tank, and that is too much for me! i got tired of them stealing food and knocking stuff over too. but I do need something to keep my sandbed clean, my pistol does a good job mixing up my sand bed, but there are places he doesnt build tunnels and debris likes to settle. do sifter gobys eat all thr good stuff in your sand bed?

and lol @ your jawfish..reminds me of when I use to keep cichlids!

Try nassarius snails. A handful of them will go a long way.

 

[xpertrifle]

I put about 200 nassarius snails in my tank and did not notice any diff. Of course I have a 180g and my tusk and corris wrass may have ate too many. Adding mangroves made a huge of a diff in my algae growth.

 

[savageAJC]

! I cant imagine dumping any # close to that in my tank! lol