Snails or Hermit Crabs?

[rafa316]

My 75gal tank just finished cycling my first badge of live rock. I think the next step would be to add a cleaning crew. I have heard that hermit crabs are a treat to snails.

So should I get only Hermit Crabs, or both? (I would hate to wake up every morning to do Snail CSI)

Also how many should I add?

Thank you

 

[Frick-n-Frags]

skip the hermit crabs. they are opportunistic scavengers who prefer meat if they can get it.

snails are the key to keeping your LR cleaned. you need snails.
hermits, in case you didn't notice, require a snail shell. when they outgrow the one they have. they find or steal another one.

If you really really really want a hermit crab. get a red-leg. they are super mellow and poke around n the dust. I think they are 100% detritus scavengers. Mine didn't even go running after a flake of food like the stupid blue-legs did.

 

[DarthFred6996]

Maybe you meant that the snails were a treat to the hermits. This is only if the hermits do not have empty shells for them to move into when they outgrow their existing one. Add some empty shells that are a little bigger than your hermits current one and you should be OK. The one thing to look out for is if your hermits are using a shell that is the same as your snails they may have a preference to the snails shell and kill them for it.

 

[Steverino]

I am removing my blue-legs and putting them into the fuge or the sump or my frag tank, away from the snails. I prefer the snails and have found the hermits to pester the snails. The best snails I have are the Nassarius and the Ceriths, though some people like the margaritas.

 

[ionredline0260]

Persoanlly I haven't had one problem with any one of my 10 random reef hermits touch any one of my 13 snails. I have 10-12 extra shells through out the LR and sand bed and every one gets a full belly and is happy. I would suggest starting with a small amount of hermits and see how they do. They work alot better at getting into the places snails can't.

 

[rafa316]

So what about quantities?

 

[SptfireXIV]

I love how people completely dismiss all hermit crabs because of their experience with blue legged.

Try the red legged (clibonarious) hermits.

 

[sunfish11]

I happen to like all my hermits. I have several kinds and probably 150 of them or so. I make sure that there are plenty of empty shells. I have lots of snails as well. I have not witnessed a hermit attacking and killing a healthy snail. If a snail falls upside down and I don't see it in time, the hermits wait until it is dead to polish it off. They are good for algea as well as cleaning up food that the fish miss. Well fed hermits are happy hermits.

 

[KJB32]

I happen to like hermit crabs too, but snails are also needed. Start with about ten hermits, and about 25 snails of different types (turbos, cerith, etc.)

 

[ebauman75]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9521425#post9521425 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SptfireXIV
I love how people completely dismiss all hermit crabs because of their experience with blue legged.

Try the red legged (clibonarious) hermits.

I keep losing my scarlet reef crabs to the dwarf blue hermits. I would have to say that if you decide to go with hermits, avoid the dwarf blues! Of course they haven't eaten any of my snails, even after one was upside down so long it died they still left it alone! Just my experience, but everyone's a little different.

 

[reeftanker04]

I have a ton of blue legged in my tank and I regret purchasing them. I have around 30 in a 30 gallon tank. I have an abundance of turbo snails but the minute one of them is upside down, the crabs attack.

I'm slowly removing the blue legged hermits and donating them back to my LFS (along with an emerald crab that seems to enjoy knocking my coral off my rocks onto the sand).

 

[rafa316]

Ok, I think I have a better Idea of what to do, I will start with 10 red legged (clibonarious) hermits, and a 20 variety pack of snails.

One last thing, are Emerald Mithrax Crab(Mithraculs sculptus, Mythrax sculptus) Snail killers? or would they be ok together

Thank you

 

[BradsOcean]

I would go with about 25 turbo snails and 5-10 RED LEGGED hermits.

 

[SptfireXIV]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9522643#post9522643 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by rafa316
Ok, I think I have a better Idea of what to do, I will start with 10 red legged (clibonarious) hermits, and a 20 variety pack of snails.

One last thing, are Emerald Mithrax Crab(Mithraculs sculptus, Mythrax sculptus) Snail killers? or would they be ok together

Thank you

That looks like a good crew. For what its worth, astrea snails were the hardest working snails I added to my tank.

I think the final tally for the cleanup crew in my 75 is:
20 red legged hermits
5 scarlet hermits
10 astrea snails
10 cerith snails
2 fighting conch snails
4 HUGE nass. snails
and 2 sally lightfoot crabs (which I'm regretting now, but so far they're behaving)


Its definitely overkill though, so I think your crew will do a fine job.

 

[rafa316]

What do you think about the Emerald Mithrax Crab? would he be compatible with the crabs and snails?

 

[SptfireXIV]

I don't have any experience with them, unfortunately. They seem to be a toss up on whether or not they're reef safe.

 

[TrueblueNY]

try a mix , you should be fine. either one will experience fatalities eventually no matter what.

 

[BCreefmaker]

i haved mixed in my 20G like 8 nass, 6 turbo, 1 star w/ 4 difrrent type of hermits: 3 blue, 2 red, 2 orange/purple, and one giant zebra hermit. i have never had a snail killed by a hermit. i have extra shells in thier that helps alot. but it seems the blue legs still love to fight each other over who has the best shell.

 

[rafa316]

Lol that is so funny I cant wait till I go get some tonight...But I still havent heard if I should get the Emerald crab

 

[Frick-n-Frags]

if you have corals, get a mithrax to clean around their bases

blue leg hermits are trash that somehow got foisted onto the hobby. I think it is because they are easy to catch = huge profit margin.