Lost another snail

[vpotts28]

Originally Posted by Aztec Reef
it's Aztec....OK .So in your case you can keep those hermits and find out what the culprit of the death toll is, then fix it...
You must know how much water needs to be replenished daily in order to keep water level and salinity constant, and yes fluctuations on Salinity will kill Critters..But if that ain't the problem then you tell me waht ii is...

No offense here guys, but if a turbo falls of the glass, then the hermit wasn't the culprit. Obviously when a turbo falls on its back, and can't right itself then it is easy pickens for a hermit. If you are going to keep hermits then you HAVE to have shells for them, or they are going to take what they need to survive when they molt. You also have to make sure they have enough to eat, or they will do exactly what Aztec said, they will eat whatever they have to . I feed mine a sheet of blue green algae twice a week. I have never seen them attack any of my snails, but thats not to say they haven't when I wasn't around. I don't think its a must that you have them, but for entertainment value I think they are some of the most incredible creatures.

 

[miaheatlvr]

I do suppliment as well with algae sheets, they go nuts.

 

[vpotts28]

Originally Posted by MiaHeatLvr
I do suppliment as well with algae sheets, they go nuts.
I'll have five or six of them hanging off the veggie clip, along with the emerald, and now the cleaner shrimp has thrown himself into the fray.

 

[trigger11]

Ok, I will bite and throw in my 2 cents. LOL. My opinion is that when it comes to snails and hermits the snails are least productive as far as cleanup crew goes. In my tank I started off with a bunch of regular turbo snails, hermits, and some snails the LFS called Florida turbos. All of the regular turbos have since died off. Only 3 of the florida turbos are still alive. They are built different enough that I think the hermies cant get them either. The snails are hardly ever on the glass which is where I would like them to be. The hermits on the other hand are all over the place. They move pretty darn fast for being so small. I do know the blue leg hermits I have killed off the regular turbo snails I have. I did get some extra shells in there but it must have been too late. In the original posters case I am guessing the hermies are likely eating the snails for food. If the horseshoe crab is of any size he is going to keep the sand pretty darn clean. That only leaves the LR left as far as places for the hermies to find food. And if that also happens to be where the snails are mostly feeding then the food source is getting used up pretty fast. I know when I throw food in my tank the hermit crabs always come running very fast. They can be way up in the rock and they will get to the sand as quick as they can.
So the question is? What do you do about it? I think ultimately you just have to choose which guys you want in there. And from there determine how much you are going to feed them. If you keep the food supply constant then the cleanup crew will eventually level out and remain the same.

 

[vpotts28]

Originally Posted by trigger11
The snails are hardly ever on the glass which is where I would like them to be.
This is exactly my problem, I don't have any problems with the rock since the hermits I have take care of it. The problem is on the glass, I bought the snails specifically for it, but they never want to stay there. They always move to the rock.

 

[lovecraft]

Originally Posted by Vpotts28
The problem is on the glass, I bought the snails specifically for it, but they never want to stay there.
Mine like to hang at the top and make sweet sweet snail love. At least they are providing food for the fish.

 

[bbailey231]

Karen,
I am having the same problem as you...my hermits are eatting all of my snails and I feed a variety daily. I also had 50 shells of various sizes (there are a bunch more now that the snails are gone

) for 4 or 5 hermits and they STILL ate my snails and never did move to the snail shells so it was just for food.... I have beat the hermits off my snails AND my feather duster and they have had a shrimp dinner here and there as they ate my cleaner shrimp. I know for a FACT it is the hermits because I see them doing it. They gang up on the snails and take them out one at a time.
Becky

 

[petjunkie]

Are these turbos or astreas? Because sometimes they just fall over and can't get up and get eaten. I hate turbos, poop all over and they die quickly if you buy too many due to lack of food. I have about five out of twenty that have hung on in my main tank. My shrimp are bigger predators of the snails than my hermits. I think snails are productive, just not astreas really, nassarius seem to do well. The only time I see my hermits eating snails they are flipped over in the sand, even my huge 3 inch crab didn't eat the snails. Most of mine are some unindentified weird hermits though...

 

[bbailey231]

Originally Posted by petjunkie
Are these turbos or astreas? Because sometimes they just fall over and can't get up and get eaten. I hate turbos, poop all over and they die quickly if you buy too many due to lack of food. I have about five out of twenty that have hung on in my main tank. My shrimp are bigger predators of the snails than my hermits. I think snails are productive, just not astreas really, nassarius seem to do well. The only time I see my hermits eating snails they are flipped over in the sand, even my huge 3 inch crab didn't eat the snails. Most of mine are some unindentified weird hermits though...
They "were" turbos and astreas and nassarius snails. I know sometimes they fall over and can't get back up right, but I would watch for them and turn them back over if they got in that position (of course I do sleep at night and can't watch them 24/7 lol). I have one huge turbo right now that is sitting upright and when I got home it had 3 hermits on it trying to get under it. I have no idea what kind of hermits they are, they just have some weird striped legs.

 

[vpotts28]

Originally Posted by lovecraft
Mine like to hang at the top and make sweet sweet snail love. At least they are providing food for the fish.

Apparently mine aren't in the mood for love. The girls must not be showing enough antenna to the boys to get them excited.

 

[vpotts28]

Originally Posted by petjunkie
Are these turbos or astreas? Because sometimes they just fall over and can't get up and get eaten. I hate turbos, poop all over and they die quickly if you buy too many due to lack of food. I have about five out of twenty that have hung on in my main tank. My shrimp are bigger predators of the snails than my hermits. I think snails are productive, just not astreas really, nassarius seem to do well. The only time I see my hermits eating snails they are flipped over in the sand, even my huge 3 inch crab didn't eat the snails. Most of mine are some unindentified weird hermits though...

I am through with astreas/turbos, they are to much trouble. I am going to keep the nassarius and ceriths, and add a few nerites. I can't stand to have to flip them over constantly.

 

[lovecraft]

Originally Posted by Vpotts28

Apparently mine aren't in the mood for love. The girls must not be showing enough antenna to the boys to get them excited.
Guess I'm lucky, I started off with six of each, lost a couple of each during the first week or so. I only see 3 trochs but about 4-5 babies that look like they are growing. As for the cerith, well now I think I see about 7 full grown ones and about 4-5 babes!

They're saving me money now, but it will only last till I get a few more fish I'm sure.

 

[bpaul1201]

i have 1 large mex turbo, and 2 atrea,2 nassaruis, 5blue legs and 1 scarlet,and 1 blood shrimp! i have yet to have a problem since the hermits are small but i'm going to order some more nassaruis as wel has a bunch of empty shells! when i got my hermits i also got a few empty shells and 3 have already which and i need to by some more! i have yet to have a problem with my snails not on the glass, there all over i go to bed and the back wall is covered in algea, wake up and its shiny clean from the big turbo! anything i dont like is the snail poop! but like anything in this hobby sometimes you get a mean critter and sometimes a peaceful critter its always hit or miss!

 

[lovecraft]

bpaul, just ask you local lfs if they have any spare shells. First place I asked when I was buying my cleanup crew just handed me a cup full of them. I washed them only but I read on this board you can boil them for added cleanliness. Tossed them behind my rocks cause I didn't like the cluttered look and they have been relatively peaceful. They got on my Feather duster a couple of times but he's fine so far.