So I recently set up my 40 gallon breeder. I have about 8 or 9 hermits and 5 turbo snails right now. I was wondering if the Hermits will use empty snail shells as opposed to killing each other or the snails for their shells. I threw a bunch of dmlty snail shells in and want to know if that works or not.
Hermit Crabs and Their Shells
- Thread starter Emigs21
- Start date
Chicagoreef2016
New member
My hermits are constantly killing my snails. And then taking their shells.
WatDatThing
New member
Same here. Only my turbos survive the blue legged hermit.
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CrayolaViolence
New member
hermits are cold blooded killers. I have even lost a few small turbos to them. Even with hundreds of shells in the bottom of the tank ready to be used, they will still take a snail's shell. Dinner and a home...
Scuba_Steve
Premium Member
It is all luck. The only thing is, they will change shells. By providing them shells, you are lessening the chance that they will kill a snail. Don't worry too much though. Buy plenty of snails, and they will be just fine. Worst case scenario, snails are fairly cheap!
NYCBOB
New member
snail lives matter!
gone fishin
New member
I eventually decided to just use snails. I got tired of the snail jackings.
anthonys51
New member
I use both. Yes I do see hermits in snail shells but then again I really don't care. Only think I will say about hermits is they devour gha I have 3 scarlet red claws in my 80 frag tank. I got 45 frags from someone covered in gha. Well that was Friday night at 10pm. Today not a single frag has gha on it. So they might kill snails but let me see 3 snails clean 45 frags of gha in 36 hours.
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anthonys51
New member
i only have kept 3 the tiny dwaft blue legs, the red scarlet leg hermits and the Halloween hermit.
the tiny blue legs are too tiny to do anything, well at least in my 265, but i feel they get into the tiniest cracks others cant. probably not doing much but at only 1 buck each i bought 30. the Halloweens are too big and knock over to many things and the scarlets are gha and algae eating machines. i think the key to crabs is not buy too many. if you put 15 crabs in with 15 snails in a brand new tank with no food , what do you expect the hermits to do. i would start with 3 in a 40 gallon and maybe total of 6 snails and 6 nassaui snails for the sand if you have and thats it
the tiny blue legs are too tiny to do anything, well at least in my 265, but i feel they get into the tiniest cracks others cant. probably not doing much but at only 1 buck each i bought 30. the Halloweens are too big and knock over to many things and the scarlets are gha and algae eating machines. i think the key to crabs is not buy too many. if you put 15 crabs in with 15 snails in a brand new tank with no food , what do you expect the hermits to do. i would start with 3 in a 40 gallon and maybe total of 6 snails and 6 nassaui snails for the sand if you have and thats it
monkeysee1
Member
Yep. They ARE little beasts! I made the mistake of ordering a cleaner package from Reef Cleaners when I had fifteen or so blue legged hermits in my tank. ALL of my Ceriths were wiped out within two weeks! Munch city!
:sad2:
I've heard the RED LEGGED hermits are a little bit more docile and better behaved towards snails. But I don't know for sure if that's true!
Fellow posters??
anthonys51
New member
My snails are still with my 3 years later but I also didn't add 100 snails and hermits like the packages say
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CrayolaViolence
New member
That's just what they want you to think.
