Avoiding the ugly stage?!?

[Exotrezy]

You can, it might help. I did it, but there is something about a shell that is swaying back and forth that hermit crabs love...

You need snails, but do you NEED hermit crabs?

Wouldn't hermits help with cleaning?

 

[jabberwock]

Wouldn't hermits help with cleaning?

They do, but at a potential cost. It is not really THAT big of a deal, just my preference to not have to constantly buy new snails.

 

[Exotrezy]

They do, but at a potential cost. It is not really THAT big of a deal, just my preference to not have to constantly buy new snails.

Ok, wont do hermits just yet.

 

[Lasse]

There is a lot of different hermits to get - I agree that the blue leggs is not the best - they are rather aggressive.

Its true that some hermits try to eat snails - however - they are not primary after the shell - they are after their flesh - but it is also true that healthy snails has a very effective defence against hermit attacks. They simply close the door. IME - hermits only succeed to attack snails that are dying or in bad condition. They just does their job - cleaning up.

Algae eating snails and algae eating hermits prefer different type of algae, hence its important to have both types of organisms. Urchins are also a good members in the clean up team.

They are opportunistic so will kill a snail if the snail looks helpless.

Some are more herbivorous - especially some of the small species. I have at least 20 + of at least 4 species of hermits and also the same amount of different snail. Every half a year or so - I buy a lot of around 10 of different species (hermits and snails).

These and my urchins is my most important inhabitants. Without them - the system will sooner or later crash.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[ReefGeezer]

To address the OP's original question... No, there is not a way to avoid the uglies when establishing the tank using the method you chose. Diatoms will be the first of many pests you will need to manage. Adding cleanup crew members that help control the particular ugly pest haunting your tank can help. But really, you are the best cleanup crew. Get yourself a turkey baster, some bottle brushes, a denture toothbrush, and maybe a round brush used for dishes and blow/scrub away your problems repeatedly until they fail to return. Try not to start adding products that claim to eliminate one pest or another. They seldom work.

 

[Subsea]

To address the OP's original question... No, there is not a way to avoid the uglies when establishing the tank using the method you chose. Diatoms will be the first of many pests you will need to manage. Adding cleanup crew members that help control the particular ugly pest haunting your tank can help. But really, you are the best cleanup crew. Get yourself a turkey baster, some bottle brushes, a denture toothbrush, and maybe a round brush used for dishes and blow/scrub away your problems repeatedly until they fail to return. Try not to start adding products that claim to eliminate one pest or another. They seldom work.

Kudoes to this post. It addresses reef husbandry and why using dry sand & rock with bottled bacteria contributes to the uglies.

 

[Tamberav]

There is a lot of different hermits to get - I agree that the blue leggs is not the best - they are rather aggressive.

Its true that some hermits try to eat snails - however - they are not primary after the shell - they are after their flesh - but it is also true that healthy snails has a very effective defence against hermit attacks. They simply close the door. IME - hermits only succeed to attack snails that are dying or in bad condition. They just does their job - cleaning up.

Algae eating snails and algae eating hermits prefer different type of algae, hence its important to have both types of organisms. Urchins are also a good members in the clean up team.


Some are more herbivorous - especially some of the small species. I have at least 20 + of at least 4 species of hermits and also the same amount of different snail. Every half a year or so - I buy a lot of around 10 of different species (hermits and snails).

These and my urchins is my most important inhabitants. Without them - the system will sooner or later crash.

Sincerely Lasse

I always seem to end up with one so now I just keep one per tank to enjoy.

No LFS here so my goal is to always have snails live lonnnnng time if I can or have those that naturally reproduce in our tanks. Don’t want to pay $40-$65 to replenish snails.

Surprised you would say it would crash. Some don’t run/use much cuc but then again there are other methods I suppose like fish and what not.

 

[Exotrezy]

I always seem to end up with one so now I just keep one per tank to enjoy.

No LFS here so my goal is to always have snails live lonnnnng time if I can or have those that naturally reproduce in our tanks. Don’t want to pay $40-$65 to replenish snails.

Surprised you would say it would crash. Some don’t run/use much cuc but then again there are other methods I suppose like fish and what not.

Yeah, Duluth must be rough, 4 hrs to the nearest fish store.

 

[Lasse]

Without them - the system will sooner or later crash.

My tank its +8 years old and it have not crash yet and my maintenance is absolute minimum work from me - my animals do that for me instead.

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Lavey29]

I don't do Hermit crabs. If it's got claws, it breaks laws. They are snail killers.
Especially don't mix a red and a blue. That will be a fight for sure.

Not in my tank. It's all inclusive euphoria

 

[Exotrezy]

No, don’t bother testing silicates. It’s not something normally done.

For corals:

Alk
Ca
Mg
PO4
Nitrate

Of your list, the only two snails that eat algae are the turbo and trochus. I would not bother with bumblebee snails unless you have a specific reason to add them.

Do I need to buy a kit for all of those? I have nitrate already and will get a phosphate one.

 

[Subsea]

My tank its +8 years old and it have not crash yet and my maintenance is absolute minimum work from me - my animals do that for me instead.

Sincerely Lasse

As a Laissez Faire I agree, if I didn’t have janitors, my systems would not look NICE.

 

[Tamberav]

Do I need to buy a kit for all of those? I have nitrate already and will get a phosphate one.

hanna ulr phosphorus checker is the one most use


some of the kits (like API phosphate) are not very useful

 

[Tamberav]

I had like maybe 3 snails and 1 hermit in my 80g and it was pretty dang clean. The rock is old though and the yellow tang and tailspot blenny do a pretty good job on algae alone.

I now have a dragon goby, did not realize how much algae those guys will eat.

 

[Tamberav]

Yeah, Duluth must be rough, 4 hrs to the nearest fish store.

It is a rough life, maybe 3 of us here that have some sort of reef tank.

 

[Exotrezy]

hanna ulr phosphorus checker is the one most use


some of the kits (like API phosphate) are not very useful

Ok, Is a salifert one good?

 

[BryanM]

Ok, Is a salifert one good?

I think you could use the search here for test kits, but there is definitely a preference for hannah for some, and salifert for others.

While I can test for dang near anything, I think the only times I will test for certain things if I think something is off. ALK stability is pretty important assuming you're keeping corals. Most other parameters people worry about have wildly wide ranges that work in different tanks.... So theres a lot of us that decide not to chase numbers.

ATM I'm in the camp of testing is a tool for diagnosing a problem. All but one torch in my tank looks great, and the one torch just isn't all that extended today, and it will probably be fine tomorrow.

 

[Tamberav]

Ok, Is a salifert one good?

can be hard to read the color chart is all but otherwise it's fine. I started my journey with salifert as I know hannah is a bit spendy.

 

[Exotrezy]

can be hard to read the color chart is all but otherwise it's fine. I started my journey with salifert as I know hannah is a bit spendy.

Any other kits you recommend? Hannah is a bit pricey so not really willing to buy that just yet.

 

[Exotrezy]

hanna ulr phosphorus checker is the one most use


some of the kits (like API phosphate) are not very useful

Some people said that API phosphate is pretty good. Is that true?