Hermits Crabs

[clear-seal1988]

sorry if im going over old ground here guys but can i ask opinions on hermit crabs not just as a clean up crew but in general?

 

[jay0705]

Here I'll speak to it lol. There a good part of a cuc, however they will kill snails for shells. Some peeps have had them eat certain soft corals aswell

 

[clear-seal1988]

Hey there Jay lol

Thanks for your reply i too have heard they will kill snails for shells i currently dont have any corals in my DP tank but it is something i plane to in the future and i currently have 1 hermit lol he seemed to survive the nuclear sugar dose and finally came out of hiding which he had been doing for weeks i had given up on him! LOL

However the lfs which sold me the hermit did advise me that if i was keeping snails to pop to the sea front find some shells and take them home and boil them for a minimum of 10 minutes!

Not sure if that would be safe or not but anyhow i haven't done that anyway lol

 

[jay0705]

A variety of empty snail shells, yes. Alot of lfs will have empty shells in there tanks from dead snails before. Some will sell you those or just give um to u

 

[clear-seal1988]

it be too cold for me to go shell collecting on the beach LOL hehe one of my lfs will sell you a bag of shells of various sizes for like £7.20 to £12.50 but i think to my self would i like to keep snails or crabs?

I have 2 snails and 1 hermit he dosnt seem to bother the snails but there again i had given up hope on him lol

 

[jay0705]

People mix them all the time. They will kill snails yes, but its a war of attrition. In my big tank i have a few softies and snails so i keep shrimp instead of crabs. 2 pep and 2 skunks. In my 75 "aggressive " tank i keep hermits bc shrimp would be dinner lol

 

[clear-seal1988]

Thats fair enough Jay i to will be upgrading in the new year am currently running a small 2 ft by 18 inches 15 gallon tank which is in recovery at the moment might then keep the 15 gallon as a QT or maybe just a few fish wonder with hermits in it!

haven't made my mind up yet lol but cant wait to start upgrading just going to take my time with the upgrade though so the job is done properly!

 

[jay0705]

Bigger the tank the easier it is to keep. 100 plus gallons is wonderful. Once fully cycled there very stable

 

[clear-seal1988]

I have heard that and have always been advised to go for the biggest tank i possibly can! so finally bit the bullet the other month and got hold of a big 4ft by 24 by 24 have my live sand all ready and some dry rock but in the new year going to concentrate on the sump and plumbing! then the games will begin with the LR!

have been fresh water keeping all my life still have 2 fresh water tanks running but decided i wanted to try something different have a breath of fresh air as they say!

Tried stepping down completely from fresh water then was gifted with another 4 foot tank with fish and that cool looking 3D background! Am not going to neglect the freshwater but am not planning on restocking!

So then i think i have made my decision am going to keep..................... snails and shrimp in my big DP tank

 

[jay0705]

I have both aswell, but my biggest tanks 220, 75,56 are sw. Shrimp are more expensive then crabs but much safer with other live stock. For snails get a mix, cerith,narssisus, astrea, nerite, etc