?? Clean-up crew ??

[Larah]

So if triggers eat snails and crabs and star fish.. How the
H-E- double-hockey sticks are you supposed to have a clean-up crew in your tank?

replace 'em a lot?

[LisaD]

I have several large hermits (stripe legged) that I collected from the North Carolina coast. I have had about a half dozen in my 210 for 2+ years with puffers and eels.

[Larah]

So you don't see that as a n issue with a trigger then?
I obviously have to get rid of my brittle star fish and shrimps...
what about snails? They do a GREAT job of cleaning the dand and the tank walls... What do I do about those things if I can't have snails...

[Recty]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15034527#post15034527 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Larah
So you don't see that as a n issue with a trigger then?
I obviously have to get rid of my brittle star fish and shrimps...
what about snails? They do a GREAT job of cleaning the dand and the tank walls... What do I do about those things if I can't have snails... For my aggressive tank, I removed all the sand and just bought a magnetic scraper for cleaning the tank walls, worked really well.

Once I got my tank settled down more and more, I never even scrape my tank walls and they stay crystal clear.

[Larah]

I considered going bare bottom.. But have rejected it so far....
We'll see what ends up happening!
So what do people that keep their sand and have an agressive tank do? Keep getting bunches of cheap snails and replacing them as they get eaten, LOL!

[LisaD]

other than the big hermits, yes, replace snails often...

[Larah]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15034744#post15034744 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LisaD
other than the big hermits, yes, replace snails often...

LOL! OK :) That's about what I figured!!!

[saltwater_wannabe]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15034274#post15034274 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LisaD
I have several large hermits (stripe legged) that I collected from the North Carolina coast. I have had about a half dozen in my 210 for 2+ years with puffers and eels.

Where on the coast did you find them? I wouldn't have thought that they would work given the temperature difference between our tanks and the Atlantic.

Thanks
Brian

[anbosu]

Unless it is a deepwater crab it is going to be used to a wide range of temperatures from the shallow waters in the summer. While the Atlantic doesn't get as warm as say the Gulf of Mexico it should still be close enough for the crabs to thrive, especially when they are going to have an abundant food source.

[LisaD]

I collected them near Morehead City, NC. At a marina, on the rocks. They are not deepwater, and have done fine in my tanks for around 2 years. My tank is kept at 78 degrees.

Shallow water or intertidal Atlantic animals tend to be very adaptable.

[saltwater_wannabe]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15039386#post15039386 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LisaD
I collected them near Morehead City, NC. At a marina, on the rocks. They are not deepwater, and have done fine in my tanks for around 2 years. My tank is kept at 78 degrees.

Shallow water or intertidal Atlantic animals tend to be very adaptable.

heh, my Mom works at the Duke Marine lab in Beaufort. I'll have to get her to do some scavenging for me when I get my setup complete.

Thanks!
Brian

[Larah]

When ya'all say 'large' what do you mean?

[wanabebell]

Tiger cowries are another option i have one and it dominates....Only complaint is that it will climb over the algae clip and feast on the algae keeping my angel from getting it....

[Larah]

I had a tiger cowrie for about 2 days... Ate all my GS, LOL! and half of my coralline! So out he went... They are gorgeous though.
You think triggers will leave a cowrie alone? They are super meaty.. Yum yum! :)

[LisaD]

Most of my hermit crabs are in shells that are about half the size of my fist.

saltwater_wannabee, I'll try to remember the exact spot. There are a lot of them on the shallow water rocks at this marina. I think it's actually in Swansboro, on Hwy 58 (on the left as you are leaving Emerald Isle). There is a seafood restaurant right next to it. I don't remember the name. We always stop there because it is on the way home to Mebane, NC. I like to collect the hermits on the way home so they aren't held too long before being added to the tank. I'm sure they can be found all over the area, between Swansboro and Emerald Isle and Beaufort/Morehead City. These crabs are not reef safe, and I would not trust them around small, slow fish,either. But they are great cleaners for my aggressive 210.

Here's a picture:

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d19/ldarmo/Fish12-31-08045.jpg

[Larah]

Hey Lisa, Great Pic! He looks tough!
I will see what I can do to replicate him. I know I can't get anyting like that on our coast. I haven't ever even seen anything like that on the North Pacific coast......

[LisaD]

Larah,

I think my crabs are Clibanarius vittatus, which are also found in tropical waters. These are sometimes available in the trade. There is not high demand for them because they are large and not reefsafe.

I'll bet some of the florida collectors could send you what you want. There are lots of species of non-reefsafe, large hermits.

Try calling or e-mailing reeftopia.com, divertom.com, or others. You can also try the regular e-tailers, sometimes they have large hermits.

Maybe a couple large ones of these?
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+501+624&pcatid=624

Article from WWM - you want the big ones that need to be kept with big, aggressive fish

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/arthropoda/crabs/hermitcrabs.htm

[Larah]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15045319#post15045319 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LisaD
Larah,

I think my crabs are Clibanarius vittatus, which are also found in tropical waters. These are sometimes available in the trade. There is not high demand for them because they are large and not reefsafe.

I'll bet some of the florida collectors could send you what you want. There are lots of species of non-reefsafe, large hermits.

Try calling or e-mailing reeftopia.com, divertom.com, or others. You can also try the regular e-tailers, sometimes they have large hermits.

Maybe a couple large ones of these?
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=497+501+624&pcatid=624

Article from WWM - you want the big ones that need to be kept with big, aggressive fish

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/arthropoda/crabs/hermitcrabs.htm

When you say "non-reef safe" you mean they will eat the zoanthids and mushroom corals that I have?
I am using the exisitng live rock that I have for this new tank and most of it is encrusted with various zooanthids, mushrooms and candy cane corals....

[LisaD]

I have not tried the really big hermits in any tanks with zoas or mushrooms. I imagine they would probably be okay with them, but am not sure. I think not reefsafe is more that they are predatory and clumsy, so they can knock corals down. They might also go after fanworms and such. I'm planning on putting some hardy corals in my 210 with the crabs when I get new bulbs, will report back then.

BTW, I can tell you one fish that LOVES mushrooms. I moved my dogface puffer to my 55 when my Brazilian dragon moray in the 210 was trying to drag it into the rocks and eat it. This fish ate EVERY single mushroom in my tank. There must have been hundreds, all gone.

I had an imperator angel I was growing up/QTing in the 55 before that (this one is now in my 210). That fish ate just about every zoanthid.

Good thing I like fish more than corals!

[Larah]

Ummmm.... WOW! That is stunning...
I was amazed when the cowrie that I had for 2 days ate almost every Green Star Polyp I had, overnight!

Well I kind of like them both...
Though I have to say corals can be a real pain in the arse...

My problem is I like everything, LOL!!! Makes it much harder to choose...

[Larah]

BTW.. What do you consider "hardy" corals?

[LisaD]

hardy corals are the ones I haven't killed and that were able to live under PC fluorescents in a pretty high bioload fish tank. The ones I can grow are:

all mushrooms
many polyps
some photosynthetic gorgonians
Sinularia
cabbage leathers
Porites (SPS)
Turbinaria
Colt coral
Kenya tree coral

I'm not all that adventurous, so there may be many other "hardy" (Lisa-proof) corals out there, but these are most of the ones I've been able to keep going for years.

Since my 210 has three angels, the zoas probably won't go in there. I'll probably try a lot of unpalatable leather corals and mushrooms, maybe some nice big gorgonians.

[Larah]

Lisa proof, NICE! I think that's how corals should be classified, LOL!
I completely understand what you mean now.
You should try Hammer Coral and CandyCane Coral, they've both done quite well for me, as well as the zoanthids, polythoas and shrooms that populate almost every peice of Live Rock in my 50 gallon at this point! They been doing quite well under PC's with an average fish bioload in my tank.

I like the leathers quite a lot too. Lots of bang for the buck!

[LisaD]

I forgot to list candy canes, I've kept them with success too. I've avoided hammer and similar corals like frogspawn because I was afraid they might sting or eat smaller fish. I suspect my angels would feast on many LPS too.

[Larah]

So far my coral beauty hasn't tried to eat the hammer coral. and it has grown abotu 6 new heads hasn't tried to eat anyone else, LOL!
I do, however, keep it very well fed, which may have something to do with it! Get a small one and give it a shot. They are purty nifty!

[LisaD]

I'll try it once I get my fish sorted. I have a bunch of them and need to switch around some tanks. My list is scary. :)