Are hermit crabs essentia for reef tanks?

[daddy2kids]

How essential are hermit crabs to a cleanup crew for a reef tank?

I used to buy replacement hermit crabs and snails from time to time. I'm not sure what was taking out the crabs, but the blue hermit crabs were definitely murdering the snails.

I stopped buying replacement hermit crabs about six months ago. My nitrates have been slowly coasting up since then. My feeding hasn't changed, my 5% water changes haven't changed, I still have chaeto, etc. The only thing that comes to mind is that I no longer have hermit crabs.

So, how important are hermit crabs...?

[MrReef101]

Can try some emerald crabs...work really good

[Ambition]

Not getting hermits shouldn't have caused nitrates to go up unless your snails were dieing. The hermits would have ate them before they could cause a major increase in nitrate.

[Sk8r]

I've kept hermits for many, many years with no problems with my snails. You do know that if you get the pointy snails and they get on the sand, they will fall over and then die...seriously, not kidding. Their feet can't grip the sand. They starve, and the crabs do their job and clean up. I don't get them. Also margaritas will die fairly soon after purchase, because they are cold water snails. My recommendation is cerith snails or strombus grazers (very small snails) ---and scarlet hermits, which are impossible to mistake species on. If you have snails dying of any other cause you need to do a salinity and alkalinity check first, (good parameters are in my sig line) and consider you may have another problem.

[b0bab0ey]

I got rid of all my hermits because I got tired of replacing all my snails. (Haven't lost any more snails since the hermits left town.) And while I don't regret my decision, I do feel the hermits ate crap out of all the little nooks and crannies that snails just can't get to. Nassarius snails & a fighting conch are great for keeping the sand clean.

[daddy2kids]

Thanks for the tip on the cerith and strombus. Snails are fine in general. Trochus population is rising--since I stopped stocking hermits, I've seen baby Trochus snails. I will get scarlet hermits and see. Thanks!