LPS feeding & hermits/shrimp invasion!

JFrar · Jan 30, 2015

So i've been getting more and more into SPS dominant tank...but i still have my old LPS which i do love and don't want to lose because of their natural flow extending polyps and such...or just because i like them... so i've been feeding mysis shrimp mixed with a random zoo plankton mix i forget the brand of it and feeding the LPS in the tank.. i guess you can say i have "matured" blue leg hermits because their not nearly as small as when i bought them for 39cents or w/e... they are about the size of your average scarlet hermit maybe a little smaller//bigger... so when i feed my Duncans, the duncans eat the mysis combo up!!! and as long as the time it takes for hermits to reach the duncans they will climb up the bone structure and try to pry out any food they can and dig into the mouths of the duncans... My cleaner shrimp is especially annoying with this(i almost want to get rid of it).... I also have a fungia plate on the sand floor and these larger hermits just climb right on top of the fungia plate and start chowing down in the fungias mouth... this also happens to my medium size fungia... My euphylia's are high enough i guess they arnt getting attacked(but they are the LPS that are taking the hardest hit in my tank)... I struggle to successfully feed my chalice which has actually been the one LPS that is constantly growing besides my duncans in the present day of my system...

Anyway back to the main point..... Do you guys consider getting rid of the larger more mature hermits in your tank and replace them with new LFS store bought ones??? any similair experiences ??? suggestions ???...

I had my duncans higher up in the tank and they werent being attacked during feed time but i don't think they liked being so high up and getting more light..

as always thanks in advance ! - Josh

Tab28 · Jan 30, 2015

Shrimp are opportunistic. Any one with lps and shrimp have this issue. One or two lps can be covered to prevent stealing. I have many and like my shrimp. Whenever i feed my lps i put sinking pellets in before lps feeding. Put enough in to keep the shrimp busy. It is easier for them to grab the pellets as they fall or pick them off the sand bed. This works for me.

JFrar · Feb 1, 2015

Ya, i have been squirting pieces of mysis to the cleaner shrimp so he stays a little more content... I like the idea of just sinking some pellets if i can get them to land on the ground before the fish get them... it just seems like the hermits are overwhelming.. i can maybe stop 1-2 by a coral and htere 2-3 more climbing there way closer to the coral..

Im just kinda wondering if other people deal with these monster hermits being pest.. my system is about 8 years old and i know the original hermits are likely not htere anymore...but in the last 2-3 years i really havnt boughten many( and i can still see the ones i have recently purchased maybe a 1&1/2 years ago because they are still pretty small)....i think some of these older hermits are just too big now lol and driving me a little crazy with feeding.

im rereading your post and one thing i have not tried is something to cover the coral... i think that would work really well for my fungia on the sandbed

Jimbo662 · Feb 1, 2015

I got rid of all my hermits and the skunk shrimp...problem solved! :-)

buzz225 · Apr 6, 2015

I just got a duncan and have the same problem with crabs. I just give them a peace of squid and they mess with each other rather than the duncan then I have to repeat the prosses when they become extra hungry again

buzz225 · Apr 6, 2015

Witch is usually every other day so far

650-IS350 · Apr 6, 2015

Feed your shrimps first or give them a big piece to work on first, while their kept busy feed your corals to prevent them from stealing food.

JFrar · Apr 6, 2015

Ya that's what worked for me since this thread

buzz225 · Apr 6, 2015

Jimbo662 said:
I got rid of all my hermits and the skunk shrimp...problem solved! :-)

So u dont Have a clean up crew?

Jimbo662 · Apr 6, 2015

I've got a blood shrimp and other types of snails. Current tank only has a pair of clowns so there's not a lot of over feeding / waste.

buzz225 · Apr 6, 2015

Oh ok i was guna ask how if you didn't have one cause I would like to try it lol I have to feed them all the time

Jimbo662 · Apr 6, 2015

The blood shrimp is really shy and almost never comes out in the open so I use a turkey baster and blast food down into the rocks. I occasionally see him picking food off the MP10 foam cover. He never gets near any of the corals.