Fox Face Eating Snails??

[horsejumper111]

I have a 55 gal tank and recently added a fox face. It has been about 3 wks and I have noticed that my snails are now empty shelled? Does anyone have this fish. . .or this problem? I have a few damsels and tangs that have been in the tank before this one with no problems. Thanks

 

[deejeff442]

that would be a first if it was the foxface.
mine dont bother anything
might want to check your water quality,if the snails are dying the ammonia will be up.

 

[jtt]

how many hermits do you have? they have been known for killing snails for their shells...

 

[scubachris]

I have a foxface and 6 turbo snails along with a few blue leg hermit crabs, and he hasn't touched any of them. The problem might be something else.

 

[anonome]

I would agree, Foxface fish are about as reef safe as you can get. If you saw it picking at the shells, mine does that, but seems to be eating the algae on the shells. I would agree that the death of hermits it probably another problem all together. Have you tested your water parameters to be sure you are not missing anything? Could also be a bad batch of hermits, it has happened to me.

 

[girlina4x4]

It is probably the hermit(s). Out of the ~10 hermits I have added, one survived by killing the rest of them, 8 snails, a lawnmower blenny, and half of a firefish.
My LFS told me that when they are small, they are a cleanup crew, but if they get too big, they will go after the live creatures in your tank as they go to a more carnivorous diet.

 

[jpa0741]

Originally Posted by Girlina4x4
http:///forum/post/2864980
It is probably the hermit(s). Out of the ~10 hermits I have added, one survived by killing the rest of them, 8 snails, a lawnmower blenny, and half of a firefish.
My LFS told me that when they are small, they are a cleanup crew, but if they get too big, they will go after the live creatures in your tank as they go to a more carnivorous diet.
If you have the blue leg hermits or red leg (scarlets) I really doubt they ate your fish. They were probaly dead alreay and they were just doing there job (cleanup). Now if you have regular large hermits, that is another story. They are not reef safe. The small blue and red leg hermits will kill snail though.
I have to agree with everyone else with foxface. I doubt it eat the snails.

 

[girlina4x4]

Originally Posted by jpa0741
http:///forum/post/2865001
If you have the blue leg hermits or red leg (scarlets) I really doubt they ate your fish. They were probaly dead alreay and they were just doing there job (cleanup). Now if you have regular large hermits, that is another story. They are not reef safe. The small blue and red leg hermits will kill snail though.
At first I thought it was something else, but the firefish wasnt dead. I woke up one morning and the entire back half of him was gone. The firefish was still swimming around but died the next day. Thats when I decided it was the hermit. It was sold to me as a blue leg, and from all the pics Ive seen, it looks exactly like one. Its about the size of all the tabs on the left side of this page...maybe if you combine "order status" and "message boards".

 

[anonome]

Originally Posted by Girlina4x4
http:///forum/post/2865002
At first I thought it was something else, but the firefish wasnt dead. I woke up one morning and the entire back half of him was gone. The firefish was still swimming around but died the next day. Thats when I decided it was the hermit. It was sold to me as a blue leg, and from all the pics Ive seen, it looks exactly like one. Its about the size of all the tabs on the left side of this page...maybe if you combine "order status" and "message boards".

 

[jpa0741]

Originally Posted by Girlina4x4
http:///forum/post/2865002
At first I thought it was something else, but the firefish wasnt dead. I woke up one morning and the entire back half of him was gone. The firefish was still swimming around but died the next day. Thats when I decided it was the hermit. It was sold to me as a blue leg, and from all the pics Ive seen, it looks exactly like one. Its about the size of all the tabs on the left side of this page...maybe if you combine "order status" and "message boards".
More likely something living inside your live rock (mantis shrimp) killing fish then dwarf hermits.

 

[girlina4x4]

Those (other than snails and crabs) were the first deaths in my tank since June. The firefish died in early November, with the LMB gone without a trace a week later. If I had a mantis or other myterious culprit, something would have died sooner, right? And while typing this I remeber I discovered my cleaner shrimp dead one morning....

 

[nycbob]

Originally Posted by Girlina4x4
http:///forum/post/2865023
Those (other than snails and crabs) were the first deaths in my tank since June. The firefish died in early November, with the LMB gone without a trace a week later. If I had a mantis or other myterious culprit, something would have died sooner, right? And while typing this I remeber I discovered my cleaner shrimp dead one morning....

u must hv gotten some mutated forms of hermit crabs. i hv got a bunch of blue or red hermit, along with firefish and gobies, nothing has happen to them thus far. dwarf hermits r too slow to catch any fish.