Hermit crabs eat coraline?

wilioli

wilioli

Member
yea i googled corraline algae as well, and it definitely doesn't look like the branched filamentous pics -- but the other pics where it shows a patchy like covering off the rock -- especially the purple pink ones... kinda similar.. like a great cross between cyano and corralline -- IMIO -- i just made that up IMIO = in my ignorant opinion
 
geoj

geoj

Active Member
It will grow faster if you:
keep alk up at about 10 dkh
keep calcium up at about 420 ppm
keep iodide at 0.05 ppm
Then all you do is wait for what seems like forever...
 
wilioli

wilioli

Member
just to clarify, is alk the same as carbonate (kh)? if it is, im at around 11... my kit doesn't have tests for calcium or iodide -- i should get that separate then...
 
geoj

geoj

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wilioli http:///forum/thread/316610/hermit-crabs-eat-coraline/20#post_3317977
just to clarify, is alk the same as carbonate (kh)? if it is, im at around 11... my kit doesn't have tests for calcium or iodide -- i should get that separate then...

Yep, Alkalinity is the total carbonate hardness and 11 dkh is ok. You should have a calcium test, many people just do water changes and do without a iodide test. I like to test the numbers so I do have them.
 
wilioli

wilioli

Member
oookkkkk, its been 2 days with 4 hermit crabs, and they seem to be polishin off my rock... not sure if thats.. good.. not thinkin it is... any suggestions? theres no fish in the tank.. just the 4 crabs and 6lbs of liverock... :S
 
geoj

geoj

Active Member
Sounds good to me, for the most part hermit crabs eat what you don't want in the tank that is why they are part of what we call the clean up crew :)
 
wilioli

wilioli

Member
so i think im not understanding then the purpose of live rock being a 'biological filter'. I thought everything growing on the live rock -- well almost everything -- is necessary for that 'filter', and if its being eaten by crabs, then im losing the efficacy of the filter?
also, i 'caught' the crabs crawling on the edge of the aquarium, like crawling to the top.. there's nothign visible there.. so i was wondering if they're eating away at the rubber/silicone (whatever it is holding the glass together)? thanks again
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
Bacteria growing on the rock are the ammonia/nitrite reducing area. The Nitrate reducing bacteria are are deep inside the rock.
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
I should also add a small yet significant point many hobbiests fail to recognize.
For the Nitrate reducing bacteria deep in the rock to thrive a trickly of water must slowly flow from the outside of the rock where the nitrate is created to the inside of the rock where the bacteria are. This can happen slowly by osmosis but it is generally too slow to be effective for nitrate reduction. Small organisms, many microscopic, some not, move from the surface to the inside of the rock on a regular basis. When they move they displace a small amount of water creating ideal conditions for thriving nitrate reducing bacteria. Without these organisms it's just wet rock with some bacteria.
 
slice

slice

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bang Guy http:///forum/thread/316610/hermit-crabs-eat-coraline/20#post_3318748
I should also add a small yet significant point many hobbiests fail to recognize.
For the Nitrate reducing bacteria deep in the rock to thrive a trickly of water must slowly flow from the outside of the rock where the nitrate is created to the inside of the rock where the bacteria are. This can happen slowly by osmosis but it is generally too slow to be effective for nitrate reduction. Small organisms, many microscopic, some not, move from the surface to the inside of the rock on a regular basis. When they move they displace a small amount of water creating ideal conditions for thriving nitrate reducing bacteria. Without these organisms it's just wet rock with some bacteria.
Thank you for this.
A week or so ago, a question was asked about whether coralline would block/inhibit water/nitrate access to a rock's ******** where the anaerobic bacteria reside.
What are your thoughts on this?
 
wilioli

wilioli

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bang Guy http:///forum/thread/316610/hermit-crabs-eat-coraline/20#post_3318748
I should also add a small yet significant point many hobbiests fail to recognize.
For the Nitrate reducing bacteria deep in the rock to thrive a trickly of water must slowly flow from the outside of the rock where the nitrate is created to the inside of the rock where the bacteria are. This can happen slowly by osmosis but it is generally too slow to be effective for nitrate reduction. Small organisms, many microscopic, some not, move from the surface to the inside of the rock on a regular basis. When they move they displace a small amount of water creating ideal conditions for thriving nitrate reducing bacteria. Without these organisms it's just wet rock with some bacteria.
hmmm -- how do i ensure this is occuring?
 
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