Next steps (alternate title…do I really need these crabs?)

[kryan13]

I posted a couple of weeks ago about my fish consistently dying after 2 weeks of living in my newish tank and after some very helpful advice discovered it was a salinity issue. I fixed my salinity, got a refractometer and some better test kits and all my levels have been very stable and good. Right now I have 4 hermit crabs (one bigger one with one big claw and 3 other smaller ones with orange/red tippped feet and antennas), 3 nassarius snails, a bristle worm that hitchhiked in and a watchman gobie (who has lived through everyone else dying…poor thing probably has ptsd). I am starting to get some algae on the glass and would like to add something to my clean up crew to help take care of that. I would also LOVE to add a light, some coral and (dare I dream it) maybe even a fish to this fish tank at some point. It’s a 10g nano so I know I can’t go crazy. My question is, if I want to add snails to help with the algae, should I get rid of the hermit crabs (which seem to exist only eat the fish food ?). I really need everyone to pull their weight and these guys are just waiting around to be fed. My kids jokingly call it a crabitat.

 

[blaxsun]

Hermit crabs are great scavengers, so I'd probably just add some snails. Trochus are great for glass work and they can usually upend themselves if they get knocked or fall off.

 

[kryan13]

Hermit crabs are great scavengers, so I'd probably just add some snails. Trochus are great for glass work and they can usually upend themselves if they get knocked or fall off.

Thanks! How many do you think for a 10g tank? And just out of curiousity is there a limit to them as far as ammonia levels…I understand CUC are low producers but do you not have to worry about them at all?

 

[blaxsun]

Thanks! How many do you think for a 10g tank? And just out of curiousity is there a limit to them as far as ammonia levels…I understand CUC are low producers but do you not have to worry about them at all?

For a 10-gallon? Maybe 3-4 trochus snails. Trochus are probably the hardiest because they can right themselves (other snails will eventually just get picked off if they fall off).

 

[kryan13]

For a 10-gallon? Maybe 3-4 trochus snails. Trochus are probably the hardiest because they can right themselves (other snails will eventually just get picked off if they fall off).

Perfect. Thanks! I’ll head to the aquarium store this week.