Hermit Crabs and Snails

[phatfish]

Will hermit crabs kill a snail for its shell?... I have small empty shells and less snails.

 

[dmitry]

It could happen, but if you have empty shells for the hermits it shouldn't. But nature is nature and one can not predict it for sure!

 

[snipe]

I have plenty of shells "a hundred or so" for my hermits and I see some sporting there new snail shells anyway lol. I have like 50 small nassarius so by they wont bother them for mutch longer. But my point is even with a hundred shells I still have snail deaths from my hermits.

 

[jedi]

As Snipe stated, I too have alot of extra shells floating around, but I see my hermits sporting their new snail shell on occasion. Oh well, survival of the fitest..

Jedi

 

[snipe]

Kinda like a woman and a fur coat there not afraid to show it lol.

 

[monalisa]

Question here. My tank is at the end of it's cycle. I just went in the ordered my clean up crew, 12 blue leg crabs, and 6 snails (what kind?...not sure). Will I need to keep empty shells in my tank for my crabs? I would like to know to do this, and be on the safe side...
thank you!!
Lisa

 

[fishmamma]

Hi Monalisa- My LFS told me to go to the craft store and purchase shells there. Just make sure they are not treated with a clear coating or anything. I got a bag for under one dollar. Then go home and boil them for 15 minutes, let them cool and drop em in.

 

[snipe]

I went to that auction site and bought over 200 shells for $15 anywere from the size of a raison to the size of a silver dollar.

 

[mudplayerx]

Like everyone said, the likelihood of a hermit crab killing a snail for its shell is slim if you have extra shells in the tank. You have to realize that there is a lot of time and energy invested for a hermit crab to do something like that.
The largest hermit crab in my tank is about the size of a quarter, and I think my mexican turbo snails would probably start laughing if one of the hermit crabs came at one of them.