View Full Version : Hermits and Life
BlindZide
07/13/2013, 02:11 PM
I have....well had like 5-7 RT hermits in my tank. I have noticed dwindling numbers. I think I am down to 2-3. I noticed my serpent star yanking one out before. This morning I woke up to see my Tang eating the remnants of one. I was wondering if I should replenish them or try a different crab or just keep my snails.
As far as snails go, have 3 large turbo snails (love those things) and 8 various other snails.
SinkNSwim
07/13/2013, 02:28 PM
Whats your water parameters? Also if you feed your serpent with nori it should keep them from eating the hermits.
BlindZide
07/13/2013, 03:32 PM
Whats your water parameters? Also if you feed your serpent with nori it should keep them from eating the hermits.
Tests on 7/12/2013
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - <5 but >10
Ca - 420
Alk - 10
Mg - 1300
pH - 8
SG - 1.026
Temp - 80*
The serpent gets a massive squirt of mysis and blackworms when I feed. He is a big sucker so I have to give him a lot OR he comes out from his rock and yanks stuff out of the corals. The serpent was last seen eating a shrimp like 2-3 months ago, just noticed the Tang feeding on one this morning. Still could be the serpent and I just didn't see it.
DRRosen3
07/13/2013, 05:35 PM
Nitrate - <5 but >10
Hehe... Got your symbols mixed up. That right there reads, "Less than 5 but greater than 10." which isn't possible. I'm assuming you meant to write it like this:
Nitrate - >5 but < 10 "Greater than five, but less than 10."
Another way to write it is just just put "5~10" which reads, "Somewhere between 5 and 10."
BlindZide
07/13/2013, 06:40 PM
Hehe... Got your symbols mixed up. That right there reads, "Less than 5 but greater than 10." which isn't possible. I'm assuming you meant to write it like this:
Nitrate - >5 but < 10 "Greater than five, but less than 10."
Another way to write it is just just put "5~10" which reads, "Somewhere between 5 and 10."
LMBO, hahaaaaa, yeah, you are right. What a odd job I make my stuff to be!
nlgill13
07/13/2013, 07:27 PM
Do you have enough larger empty shells for the hermits to switch into? It might be that they have grown to big for there shells and are on the search for a new home when they get attacked.
BlindZide
07/13/2013, 07:57 PM
Yeah. I got a ton of them after the first time. I think 8 of various sizes. What are the benefits to keeping hermits?
crsswift70
07/13/2013, 08:22 PM
They eat leftover food and also pick at algae. Hermits just seem to die off over time. At least in my tank. Not to say something didn't eat it.
BlindZide
07/14/2013, 05:12 AM
They eat leftover food and also pick at algae. Hermits just seem to die off over time. At least in my tank. Not to say something didn't eat it.
Yeah, I guess you are right. They do come out from working on my rocks and sand and go crazy when I feed my fish. I will just have to pick some more up then. Thanks!
Baldguy
07/14/2013, 05:48 AM
Personally, unless you really like the behavior of the hermits I'd not replace them. I don't see that they do anything that snails don't do except take their strolls across my zoas irritating them.
justthewife
07/14/2013, 05:58 AM
stick with the hermits that don't grow much. Red legged hermits. Others get too big and are opportunistic. My serpent star doesn't ever eat any crabs unless they were already dead. And if you put extra shells in there for the crabs, I would make sure they are more rounded shells and not wide and pointy. When they get into those pointy shells they damage things. I also feed my hermits crab pellets so they don't starve.
Megatrev62
07/14/2013, 01:46 PM
Keep snails for cuc and a few hermits for fun.
BlindZide
07/14/2013, 04:19 PM
I LOVE my turbo snails. I don't know why I never got any before. Those things are awesome!
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