Emerald Crab and Vermetid Snails

[tdileo]

I just glanced into my tank and saw something that filled my with joy. My emerald crab, hanging upside down, ripping vermetid snails off of a rock that was covered and eating them.
She also eats bubble algae and leaves all my fish, corals and inverts alone. I will sell her for $200 if anybody is interested [emoji6]

 

[Ocelaris]

I had about a million of those at one point, but they've all but disappeared at the one and a half year mark. Their tunnels are still around, and I see a few in the sand, but they seem to get out competed eventually.

 

[tdileo]

I had about a million of those at one point, but they've all but disappeared at the one and a half year mark. Their tunnels are still around, and I see a few in the sand, but they seem to get out competed eventually.

My tank has only had fish/corals in it since April so its still very new. Not very easy to get corals that will outcompete it since corals are so expensive. Even some tiny pieces are like $20 a piece. Of course some are wayyy more expensive lol

 

[Ocelaris]

Yeah, I added things slowly, now I'm about out of space, but even eventually something wouldn't make it due to an alk spike or nutrient change and I'd have room for another. It will still be a few years before the corals cover all the rock, but for some reason the food source for the a vermitid snails seems to have dried up.

I had a small hitchhiker crab who was eating corals and trying to eat the fish. An tilted plastic container and some mysis caught him. He became a crabsicle.

Local reef keepers and your club is the best place to get frags.

 

[tdileo]

Yeah, I added things slowly, now I'm about out of space, but even eventually something wouldn't make it due to an alk spike or nutrient change and I'd have room for another. It will still be a few years before the corals cover all the rock, but for some reason the food source for the a vermitid snails seems to have dried up.

I had a small hitchhiker crab who was eating corals and trying to eat the fish. An tilted plastic container and some mysis caught him. He became a crabsicle.

Local reef keepers and your club is the best place to get frags.

I agree with that. I've had a few local reefers give me stuff for free or super cheap and honestly that's how I've gotten half of my corals. They're always giving away low end mushrooms and zoas, montipora, leathers, and other stuff. Every so often there are rarer things.