All my crabs crabs eating my snails help!

[hayleemilo]

Hey all,
It's been a little while since I posted anyhthing, so be nice I scrubbed all of my LR yesterday as it was getting a little overgrown with with algae. There is tsill some left, but when I turned the lights on, mu blue legs and various other crabs, emeralds, etc.. were killing three live turbos. Were they just too hungry from the lack of algae on the rocks I scrubbed off? Or could there be something else? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also, I had to take my green brittle star out and put it in my wifes nano as he has lost about half of allof his legs from the crabs.
Thanks,
Eric

 

[beth]

You really shouldn't be "scrubbing" live rock. What algae do you have on your rocks?
Crabs typically kill snails, particualarly hermits. They want their shells.

 

[seaham358]

Go to a hobby shop and buy some shells. I boil them for a few minuets and when cool drop them in the tank. My crabs came out from all over to get first shot at the new shells.

 

[donjasper]

I agree with Kipass4130: "blue-legs are murderous thieves"
Perhaps there are different species being sold as 'blue legs', but once mine grew a little they turned into the little monsters people tell horror stories about. Maybe they're just as mean when they're little, but it's harder to notice?

 

[eclipse12]

i watched a large blue leg tear out a smaller blue leg and kill him once he was out of the shell. I tried to stop it, but it was under the lr. And the worst part, he couldn't even fit in the new shell!

 

[hayleemilo]

Hey Guys, thanks for all the replies! Beth, I scrubbed the LR because the hair algae was taking over! Normally, I know not to scrub it. The blue legs were eating it like mad and actually getting rid of it section by section, but they couldn't keep up. I have about 40 in my 90 gallon. I did this to try and help them keep up. As far as doing it for larger shells, I don't think so. There are about 20-25 larger shells from old turbos that range in sizes just bigger than the ones that the blue legs are in, to much larger. Oh Well, they have devoured just about every one of my turbos in the tank.
Thanks,
Eric