Snails/Crabs bothering corals

[lkcurr2]

Hi all,

I am fairly new to reef central. I have a 55 gallon tank with 220 watts pc, backpack skimmer, and just a biowheel filter... The tank has been set up for 4 months now, I have about 25lbs of live rock, and had a few damsels in the tank to start with for the first 4 months (which have now found a new home) I have just started adding my first corals, I just got a frag for zoo's and star polyps for my tank, the first couple days were fine but the crabs and snails have started to crawl all over them and they have not came out for two days... All my water readings look good...

PH 8.2-8.3
Temp 79-81
Salinity 1.022
Nitrates >10ppm
Nitrites 0
ammonia 0

Is this normal for crabs and snails to check out new things in the tank? I will post pics soon. Any suggestions?


Thanks

Keith

 

[ZURCSREEF]

very normal, there just doing there job keeping your corals clean, your corals will eventually open up again. Since your tank is fairly new the crabs and snails are just looking for something to munch on and I am sure your corals brought some "food" with them. Nothing to worry about.

-Mike C. aka ZURCSREEF

 

[jwedehase]

I wouldn't worry either, yet. In the meantime, consider bumping up that salinity just a little bit over the next couple of weeks. 1.022 will work, but 1.025/1.026 is "ideal." (whatever that means)

 

[Sk8r]

With things like star polyps, the crabs may actually be cleaning them of algae: they're good at it. I've had a scarlet hermit in a two inch shell perch atop a very delicate poecillopora (a treelike stony coral) and get off with no damage.. Their little feet are very light. Shrimp, likewise. Snails won't crawl onto a coral that slimes: they may get onto bases and generally blunder about, but I've never had one hurt anything.