Hermit crabs killing snails.

[polancoeddie]

My hermit crabs are killing each other and now killing my snails for their shell. What can I do? Not sure why they started to do this. They are pretty aggressive.

 

[sherita]

Normal behavior. Buy them some extra shells to choose from. You can get them from places like reefcleaners.org

 

[Mustang Man]

The hermits are growing and as they grow they need a bigger house(shell) so when they start to outgrow their current home they will start to look for a new one and if they can't find a bigger one laying around they will steal it from another hermit or kill a snail for it's shell.

 

[_Alex_]

I've always kept empty shells laying in the back of the tank semi out of sight. Seems to crabs don't bother the snails as much this way. Not saying they don't pick one off here and there but I have a few snails I know been with us for a few years

 

[Stemick]

I had a hermit that would pick my snails off. I could find what was doing it then I notice one day my hermit was trying to flip a turbo snail. I watch him more closely. He also as soon as I would feed my acans he would be there in no time and start pick the food out from them and flipping the acan frag to get to the food. One day I had enough of it he made his way to the sump.

:usa2:STEMICK:usa2:

 

[NanaReefer]

1 Scarlet Legged Hermit (sand sifters) in my 40B, but it still killed/ate a Tonga Nassarius and took over the shell.
6yrs reefing and have found there to be so many other options for a CUC than Hermits. Empty shells or not they are destructive opportunistic omnivores.