What paramaters can hermits and snails live at?

[djcool563]

hello i was wondering what is like the worst paramaters hermits can live at? i just set up a tank last weekend and i was thinking i will need some hermits and snails. i guess my tank is only a week into its cycle right now ammonia is at 1 mg/l and everything else is near zero. So i was wondering if it would be ok to add the hermits and snails now like a few at a time maybe 10 hermits and 10 snails right now and add small amounts after that. thanks

 

[reefD]

they are very tolerant of new tanks. ok if you keep you salinity stable and ph stable then a new tank is fine.
let me tell you a story. a few years back i upgraded a tank and removed everything. i can tell you this is very hard when you have no idea how many hermits or snails you have. anyways i removed everything and had about an ich of water in the tank. i searched for any shells that may have a hermit or sanil in it then moved the tank to the back yard. this was early spring time in upstate newy york so during the day it was warm and at night a bit cold. so a few days later i got back to cleaning up the old tank. the water level hadnt changed due to rain . so i looked in the tank and to my surprize there were a couple of live hermits crawling around ! i scooped them up and placed them in the new tank. for 2 or so days they were in a nasty stagnent tank and lived no problem!

 

[djcool563]

How do i keep PH stable?

 

[reefD]

first check for swings at night and during day . ussually a new tank substrate has buffering agents so your levels should be good but they run out. so to keep you ph stable if it is flux'ing use a buffer . this stuff makes the water dkh build up which means it is hard to experience swings. just test ph often for a few days after that you should test every now and then esspesially after water changes. so first test then if getting swing readings use a buffer product. they are out there.

 

[djcool563]

are there any generic buffer agents or do you have to buy the ones made for tanks? i am talking like you us pickling lime for calcium and baking soda for alk. is there anything for PH?

 

[reefD]

not sure but id use a nice brand for this as it will last you a long time. i still have my kent superbuffer dkh that i bought 2 years ago. but yes there are substitutes. not sure off hand but do a search.