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jamzdean 
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Joined: November 08 2008
Location: Riverton
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 Topic: Hating hermits
Posted: April 23 2009 at 5:42pm |
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Anyone else finding themselves hating hermit crabs? In my old tank, I loved them, but now I have 3 hermits that can be put 6 feet away and seem to find their way back to my birdsnest. They will completely strip a branch of polyps, then move to the next. I have never had problems with them with any other coral, but now I'm about to take 100 of them out of the tank and change for more snails. Do you all have hermits in your tanks?
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210g Reef
3 x 400w pendants
4 x actinics + moonlights
Octopus Extreme 300 Skimmer
Reefkeeper Elite controller
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Jeremyw
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Joined: April 09 2009
Location: Utah County
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Posted: April 23 2009 at 5:45pm |
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what types of hermits are they?
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john hill
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Joined: December 19 2006
Location: spanish fork
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Posted: April 23 2009 at 6:46pm |
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if they are eating your coral i would pull them out
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out with the large and in with the nano
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vadryn
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Location: North Logan
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Posted: April 23 2009 at 9:24pm |
I'm coming to Provo on Saturday. I'm accepting donations of homeless and out-of-work hermit crabs.  I will work to rehabilitate these rebellious creatures back into good standing.
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jamzdean
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Joined: November 08 2008
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Posted: April 23 2009 at 10:30pm |
First off, LOL.
Second, they are blue leg hermits that are the problem. I have some red leg, and they are fine.
I don't know if I will take them out or not, I'm just doing a little bit of stress control (anger management).
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210g Reef
3 x 400w pendants
4 x actinics + moonlights
Octopus Extreme 300 Skimmer
Reefkeeper Elite controller
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Jeremyw
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Joined: April 09 2009
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Posted: April 23 2009 at 10:33pm |
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you know pretty much any crab will eat a coral like you are having problems with, but only if there isnt enough food for them to eat. Or you have to many of them and the competition for food is to great. usually blue legged are nicer. I would pull them out if I were you .
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Connie
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Joined: December 28 2003
Location: West Jordan
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Posted: April 24 2009 at 10:31am |
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I do not keep them in the main display at all. I keep all of mine in the sump. Use cucs, stars, and snails to clean the sand bed.
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I have flying monkeys and I'm not afraid to use them.
180 gallon money pit that I love.....
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tropi_gal
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Joined: May 22 2009
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Posted: July 05 2009 at 4:56pm |
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I am having a "hate" relationship with hermits today too! The little buggars topple over my zoa, eat my snails, play nasty with each other, and to top it off... don't do enough WORK to make me happy! I am just wondering if I need any of these buggars at all. Glad to hear there are others out there with anger management crab issues too!
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ksarcury
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Joined: January 10 2009
Location: Bountiful, UT
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Posted: July 05 2009 at 7:44pm |
I'm Kenna, and I'm a  hermit hater.
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90 gal. reef
12 g. nano w/acans
34 g. salano system
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pa_reptileman_4
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Joined: August 22 2007
Location: kunsan, korea
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Posted: July 05 2009 at 7:47pm |
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thats why you have to get small ones, i get them around 1/2-1 inch long shell included and keep then til they start pushing 2 inches then i throw them in my sump.
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pitiful guppy tank.
shane
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Mark Peterson
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Joined: June 19 2002
Location: Murray
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Posted: July 06 2009 at 9:01am |
For new tanks the ratio of 1 hermit for every two snails is the ratio I use, but as a tank matures, less hermits are needed. In your tank they have become hungry for lack of food.
There is no harm in removing hermits that are causing problems. Hermits and snails can starve in an aquarium. In almost every case where hermits seem to be attacking and eating snails, there is a food issue. The lack of proper food (algae) actually weakens snails and then they become vulnerable to Hermit Crabs who are simply searchiong everywhere for a morsel to eat.
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Reefkeeping Tips, & quick, easy setup tricks:www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244 Pay it forward - become a paid WMAS member 
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Corey Price
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Joined: August 25 2004
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Posted: July 06 2009 at 1:45pm |
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I put less than what Mark recommends in at first and never replenish hermits. I don't see the point since they just cannibalize on each other, become a nuisance and don't seem to be a good control of any algae.
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