Porcelain Crab

[Amy]

Will a Porcelain Crab eat snails?

 

I feed my crab every other day so he should not be hungry. But I have tried two other kinds snails both have died in 2 days of getting them and they were cleaned right out. I don't have any other kinds of crabs in this tank. My one margarita snail is still alive and doing well. I have 2 very small Nassarius snails in the sand bed. There has never been any kind of copper either in this tank.

 

I am needing something to keep the rock clean of algae, in the past hermits tend to pic at my zoas so did not want to do them again unless I have to. I have actually seen them eating the zoas not just picking around them as when the hermit was gone they produced a nice abundant of polyps.

 

Maybe if I place the margarita on the live rock it will stay there for a few days and clean it?

 

So any recommendations would be greatly appreciated, this is a very small tank of 3 gal its mature for one year now. The one snail is doing a great job of the glass and to me one snail is the max in this size tank unless others think differently. Just need something for this live rock or else I will have to use the toothbrush on it.

[ajmckay]

Porcelain crab shouldn't bother snails... Sometimes it seems that snails kinda get lazy and "give up" depending on how much algae is there. Also some snails aren't as effective against certain algae. So it may be a combo of those things?

 

As there can't be much rock in that small of a tank I think a quick toothbrushing would get it looking nice and then hopefully the snails become more productive, assuming they were productive before that is...

[ndrobey]

Get another Margarita snail. A turbo snail should also work.

[seabass]

Margarita snails will live a shortened life at typical reef temperatures. For algae, I'd recommend Trochus snails.

[hey]

I'll second margarita snails being a poor tropical tank choice. They last about 6 months max and the whole while are essentially being cooked slowly.

[Amy]

The most recent was a Trochus he lived 2 days, the tank temp is 77 degrees. So far the margarita seems to be the best. I will just keep the one for now and see how he does, a great job on the glass anyways. A turbo would just knock over everything I have, they are just to big.

 

Thanks all for the replies, if the margarita does not last long I will try a Trochus again. He might have been to weak from where I got him from as the tanks there is nothing for them to eat there and who knows how long it was there for either.

[seabass]

It could be the difference in specific gravity. Next time you pick up a snail, test the specific gravity (and pH) of the water from the LFS. It might be an acclimation problem.

[Amy]

Well I found what I really wanted, I love the ring cowries the little guys. Have had them in the past they are the best in my opinion on rock they are just not always available here. So the one place I deal with did not have them but another place did. I am so happy to have found it so now its doing its job and just munching the algae down like mad, will keep you all posted as to how it does. Have had great luck in the past with them and the margarita is still on the glass cleaning away so all is good so far.

[Walker]

In my experience porcelains are as peaceful as can be.