Snails

[windcoast reefs]

Hey everyone,
I just got back from being away for a few days and noticed that a hermit crab was going after my large snails and in the end killed a few snails. Would this be cause by not having enough food or not a large enough shell?

Thanks for your input.

[Aquattro]

It's a hermit crab thing. I think they're after the shells.

[zum14]

They can be bullies. I had to break up a few fights with mine before i got rid of the hermits. Im not sure if its because of shell size or not. Sometimes i think they just want a few to choose from in the morning.

[windcoast reefs]

Yeah It kinda seems that they just want ten shells just sitting there waiting for them. Is there anything else that you could suggest to clean up the sand bed that won't kill my snails?

[Aquattro]

Yeah It kinda seems that they just want ten shells just sitting there waiting for them. Is there anything else that you could suggest to clean up the sand bed that won't kill my snails?

I've got a couple of wrasses that sleep in the sand, they stir it up well. And a couple of orange spot gobies to sift and spit sand everywhere

[windcoast reefs]

Yeah that might be a better option for my tank, I will see about picking one up next week and see how it does.

[Youngster Dan]

How deep is your sand bed?

[Borderjumper]

I have a pair of yellow headed gobys. They do an awesome job of keeping the sand clean, but they spit sand over everything you have.. So at least once a day you have to blow sand off the corals.

[windcoast reefs]

How deep is your sand bed?

Its around 1 inch or so.

[Youngster Dan]

If your sand bed is only that deep, honestly the best way to keep it clean would be manually. Just stir it up once a week, and then suction off the detritus that settles on the top when you do your water changes. If you stay on top of it, it will hopefully not get so bad.

[Aquattro]

For me, "staying on top of it" never works (4 dogs and a baby are distracting!). With an inch deep bed, I'd probably get some larger Nassarius snails (J&L has these) and maybe a sand sifting star. And maybe a conch. I just added these to mine, and they do a good job. Well, the wrasses help too, they mostly keep the entire sand bed in suspension. If you're afflicted with OCD at all, maybe skip wrasses :)