Do you have crabs?
Printed From: Utah Reefs
Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: Invertebrates
Forum Description: This is the place to ask questions about invertebrates.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=57398
Printed Date: August 13 2025 at 8:12am
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Topic: Do you have crabs?
Posted By: Soehl
Subject: Do you have crabs?
Date Posted: June 26 2012 at 4:50pm
Do you have crabs in your reef tank?  A lot of people just go with snails. Give us a reason for or against having crabs.------------- Cory 180 Gallon Mixed Reef Radion Pro LED 75 Gallon Elite Sump/Refugium |
Replies:
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: June 26 2012 at 5:12pm
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I just have snails and one red legged hermit. I got rid of most of my hermits as they were pulling my snails out of their shells and eating them ;) ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
Posted By: chuckfu
Date Posted: June 26 2012 at 5:38pm
| Wish I didn't for the same reason. |
Posted By: builderofdreams
Date Posted: June 26 2012 at 5:43pm
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They are really important in a reef with big meat eaters. If you don't feed frozen then they are going to eat your snails. I drop 2-3 pices of krill in my cube just for my hermits. ------------- It's Not a Hobby It's an Obsession 150&210 Gallons of Madness and. Sanity! 801-850-4915 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=65135&title=builderofdreams-feedback-post |
Posted By: bstuver
Date Posted: June 26 2012 at 6:00pm
That's all I feed is frozen, they still did it. ------------- Jackie Stuver "wait these aren't the happy Hawaiians oompa doompa godly heaven on your face zoas? I dont want them then. lol!" Ksmart |
builderofdreams wrote:Posted By: tfmreefs
Date Posted: June 26 2012 at 6:19pm
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Me too, i lost 3 snails. Not alot, but sad day still and i need cleaners:) ------------- "The early bird might get the worm, but only the second mouse gets the cheese." |
Posted By: builderofdreams
Date Posted: June 26 2012 at 6:37pm
Guess i am just lucky. Still have all the snails i put in there 4 months ago.Knock on wood. ------------- It's Not a Hobby It's an Obsession 150&210 Gallons of Madness and. Sanity! 801-850-4915 http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=65135&title=builderofdreams-feedback-post |
Posted By: Jimbo
Date Posted: June 26 2012 at 6:53pm
| I only have Scarlet Hermits. IME They don't seem near as aggressive as Red Legs, Blue Legs, etc. Good scavengers, long-lived and one of the cooler looking hermits. |
Posted By: Dionysus
Date Posted: June 26 2012 at 10:41pm
------------- AquaMedic 250 Watt XM 20k 2 420s Vhos 29 DT SPS Dominant 20 G Long Frag http://utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=56607&title=dionysus-tank-build" rel="nofollow - My Tank Progress =) |
Posted By: Dion Richins
Date Posted: June 26 2012 at 10:57pm
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LOL^^^^^^^^^^ ------------- http://www.customaquariumfurniture.com" rel="nofollow - Bad "censored" Cabinets Best quality in the valley! He is one sexy bald guy, even with out a finger!(MAC) |
Posted By: Soehl
Date Posted: June 27 2012 at 9:32am
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LOL
I have crabs.
 Lots of crabs, and they LOVE snails. I added empty shells to my tank to try and get them to stop killing my snails but they are creatures of opportunity and if they want a shell they will take it. I do think it matters if they don't have enough food, but I think the big thing is that they will take what they want.... If they want a new shell they will try and kick out the old owner. Even if it means killing the old owner. I have even had two of my crabs duke it out for a shell before. Front and center in my tank. It was really cool to watch, my Scarlet was out of its shell and everything. In the end the Electric Blue kept his house and the Scarlet was missing several legs and a claw and returned to his old home in the ghetto. AND they were doing this all next to a perfectly sized conch shell that I had put in there. In my opinion snails are a lot more beneficial to our systems. They break down the detrius to a smaller form thus making it easier for our protein skimmers to remove and better for our corals to consume plus certain ones burrow into our sandbeds. Hermits are more helpful with some forms of algae removal, so if you want both you should plan on replacing some of your snails periodically. ------------- Cory 180 Gallon Mixed Reef Radion Pro LED 75 Gallon Elite Sump/Refugium |
Posted By: Nails12
Date Posted: June 27 2012 at 10:54am
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Soehl, i have tons of crabs in my tank... I have like 40 and then 1 halloween, and a red scarlet... They only tend to go after my Nassarius snails, but thats very seldomly. I then have like 3 turbos, 5 nassarius and 4 nerites. I seldomly have to clean my tank... ------------- This is more than a hobby; its a lifestyle. |
Posted By: Soehl
Date Posted: July 08 2012 at 2:28pm
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Are there any snails that are more beneficial than others? ------------- Cory 180 Gallon Mixed Reef Radion Pro LED 75 Gallon Elite Sump/Refugium |
Posted By: CrimsRayne
Date Posted: July 08 2012 at 3:48pm
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I personally prefer snails. I have a bunch of turbo snails, nassarius snails, and 2 conches in my 180g. There is one leftover crab in there too, but I don't see him too often. The only problem with the turbo snails is that they do sometimes knock over small frags if not glued down. But they do keep the tank nice and clean. And for the sand I'll always go with nassarius snails and conches. ------------- "What we know from this hobby is too hard to share with the people who just want to look and not get wet." -Rioreefer "The Puffer Girl" Zoo freak :) West Jordan |
Posted By: Chad
Date Posted: August 30 2012 at 10:25pm
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I prefer snails over hermits but there are a lot of other types of crabs that are a great addition to a healthy reef tank. Emerald for algae control (especially bubble algae) Arrow crabs for bristle worms and left over meaty foods Porcelain and anemone crabs (very cool filter feeding crabs) Horse shoe crabs for deep or large sand beds Sally light foot crabs are great algae eaters also but I don't particularly like using them. Too skittish for me. Decorator crabs are awesome also similar to arrow crabs but carry Zoas and sponges and anemones for hiding. Just to name some common ones. ------------- What?! You pooped in the refrigerator, and ate the entire wheel of cheese?! I'm not even mad.... That's actually amazing! |