Will this work?

[Helpinsmepls]

Ok here's my list. Tell me if there will be a problem putting these guy's together in a 20g high.

 

4-6 Nassarius Snails

1 skunk cleaner or 2 peppermint shrimp, or maby all 3 ?????

2 Atlantic Turbo Snails: Astraea

1 Zebra Reef Hermit Crab

1 emerald crab

 

Good CUC? or Bad CUC? both?

 

Explain

 

After my CUC settles in ill be buying 2 tank raised clowns and a goby or blenny or maby a wrassy (a tip on what you would pick between the goby blenny or wrassy would be nice also.)

 

No coral's cept the coriline alge will be in the tank.

 

Thanks for your help. About to order CUC next week so any idea's would be great.

[HecticDialectics]

Ok here's my list. Tell me if there will be a problem putting these guy's together in a 20g high.

 

4-6 Nassarius Snails

1 skunk cleaner or 2 peppermint shrimp, or maby all 3 ?????

2 Atlantic Turbo Snails: Astraea

1 Zebra Reef Hermit Crab

1 emerald crab

 

Good CUC? or Bad CUC? both?

 

Explain

 

After my CUC settles in ill be buying 2 tank raised clowns and a goby or blenny or maby a wrassy (a tip on what you would pick between the goby blenny or wrassy would be nice also.)

 

No coral's cept the coriline alge will be in the tank.

 

Thanks for your help. About to order CUC next week so any idea's would be great.

 

I personally wouldn't get any herments or an emerald crab. Too much potential trouble with the lil devils...

 

But you should probably get somewhere closer to 6-8 astraea snails (just fyi but they aren't turbo snails... commonly mislabeled -everywhere-, but not even close to the same thing) if you aren't getting any other snails.

 

I'd suggest ordering four or five trochus snails and a few ceriths instead of getting astraea snails, they're really good algae eaters and can flip themselves over if they fall.

[Ryan_H]

i have 20 astreas in my 20 high, and all of them are getting plenty of food from the typical green algae that grows on everyone's glass (the kind mag floats were made for, lol). i've also got 20 blue leg hermits and 10 TINY ceriths (came in with the blue legs, so i grabbed 'em), and 3 peppermints. i want a pair of cleaner shrimp, but i don't have any caves big enough to accommodate a full size pair. my suggestion would just be add astreas and blue legs 5 or so at a time and keep adding them until the existing population can keep algae and detritus under control. you may only need 2 or you may need 50, it all depends on the tank. i would definitely recommend against the emerald in such a small tank because if they run out of forage they can get nippy at corals and even small fish. no point in getting a zebra unless you run into cyano problems, but you should be able to avoid if not easily correct them without livestock additions.

[Uhuru]

get some seaweed and put it on a magnetic clip - just leave it in the tank and the crabs will never go hungry - if/when the algae starts to build up take out the seaweed and let them clean up the algae

 

for the hermits leave a lot of empty shells for them - but if you're keeping snails there's still no guarantee!

[Helpinsmepls]

Will cheato work as a substitiute for seaweed?

[Uhuru]

i don't think so, they love the seaweed for sure though, mine will sit there just munchin on a strip of seaweed like it's beef jerky

 

the hermit crabs will munch on the seaweed as well

[Helpinsmepls]

What I ment to ask is, If they will eat the cheato is it ok just to give them that and whatever fish food they can grab?

 

What's the difference in nutriant value?

[kismetsh]

None of my CUC touch my chaeto, it must not taste good.

[Uhuru]

What I ment to ask is, If they will eat the cheato is it ok just to give them that and whatever fish food they can grab?

 

What's the difference in nutriant value?

 

I don't know the nutrient value but the seaweed I got is 33% protein - I never thought seaweed would be a high protein food!

[kkyyllee]

they wont eat the chaeto

[Helpinsmepls]

they wont eat the chaeto

 

K thanks guys.

 

I was thinking the snails may say no to the cheato. But I have to admit that in my tank now I have one animal (I was trying to keep him a secret because I probably should have waited anouther week. Although im showing all good chem tests but I have a emerald crab.)

 

Ive had him since late friday and he lets me hand feed him cheato wich he scarfs down like speggetti. After he's eaten it then he hops on the LR and goes to town cleaning. He picks so many small particals I could not even see if he did not grab them first. Then he throws them up into the water for the filter to get.

 

I love this little guy

[c est ma]

Well, congrats on going slow--emerald crabs are tough, and I think one appreciates each new addition more if you add slowly and take the time to really observe each new critter.

 

Also, it is a very good thing to have an emerald that is trained to come to food, because some of them do become destructive and need to be removed. My first one did, but because he was used to taking food from a pair of 12" forceps, I just grabbed him with them while he was eating and returned him to an lfs. He took his sinking pellet with him, so I'm not even sure he noticed he was being moved...

 

Emeralds eat a lot, and it's possible that yours is eating chaeto only because it's very, very hungry. Some people think that this is when they sometimes turn to eating corals, in desperation. You don't want to overfeed him so that he stops cleaning the rock, but if you don't have a lot of algae on the rock now he is probably very hungry and would appreciate more food! In addition to seaweed, you can try Hikari algae wafers and other types of prepared or frozen foods...

 

Good luck!

 

--Diane

[Helpinsmepls]

Well, congrats on going slow--emerald crabs are tough, and I think one appreciates each new addition more if you add slowly and take the time to really observe each new critter.

 

Also, it is a very good thing to have an emerald that is trained to come to food, because some of them do become destructive and need to be removed. My first one did, but because he was used to taking food from a pair of 12" forceps, I just grabbed him with them while he was eating and returned him to an lfs. He took his sinking pellet with him, so I'm not even sure he noticed he was being moved...

 

Emeralds eat a lot, and it's possible that yours is eating chaeto only because it's very, very hungry. Some people think that this is when they sometimes turn to eating corals, in desperation. You don't want to overfeed him so that he stops cleaning the rock, but if you don't have a lot of algae on the rock now he is probably very hungry and would appreciate more food! In addition to seaweed, you can try Hikari algae wafers and other types of prepared or frozen foods...

 

Good luck!

 

--Diane

 

 

Thanks Diane,

 

When I got him the lfs guy said he was feeding him miro Cyclop-eeze, (the tetra brand red food) So I bought a bottle of it. The next time I go to the petco or somthing Ill pick up a seaweed off the dry rack, If I remeber it was $4.50 for 4 squares of seeweed, seems a bit much for four 2 inch squares.

[HecticDialectics]

Thanks Diane,

 

When I got him the lfs guy said he was feeding him miro Cyclop-eeze, (the tetra brand red food) So I bought a bottle of it. The next time I go to the petco or somthing Ill pick up a seaweed off the dry rack, If I remeber it was $4.50 for 4 squares of seeweed, seems a bit much for four 2 inch squares.

 

 

buy a cheapo pack of nori for sushi...

[Helpinsmepls]

buy a cheapo pack of nori for sushi...

 

 

Yah I got the same information from a guy from petco. I was supprized. He said I would have to go to a specialty store. Im wondering if a walmart / supercenter would carry it.

 

So im guessing the snails would eat this nori also?

 

How long till the emerald molts? (He has bronze coloring in between his joints (looks like crab flesh to me)

 

Thanks for all the confirmations and help. Im glad I have this place to get information from

[HecticDialectics]

Yah I got the same information from a guy from petco. I was supprized. He said I would have to go to a specialty store. Im wondering if a walmart / supercenter would carry it.

 

So im guessing the snails would eat this nori also?

 

How long till the emerald molts? (He has bronze coloring in between his joints (looks like crab flesh to me)

 

Thanks for all the confirmations and help. Im glad I have this place to get information from

 

probably just depends on your local demographics. My local grocery store carries it in the asian section. An asian market will have considerably lower prices though.

[c est ma]

Also--while we get these guys for their algae eating habits, IME they're as omnivorous as most crabs, and will go for almost any prepared fish food. If you're on a budget, these would be the cheapest thing to get, I'd think. Pellets & wafers work better than flakes, for crabs.

 

As far as molting, I have never noticed any sort of color change indication, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Even after lots of time observing emeralds, hermits, and a pom pom, all I can say is that they occasionally disappear for a few days and show up again freshly molted. (Actually, my scarlet HC has molted in plain sight once or twice--pretty cool!) My emeralds have been the only ones that actually grow, which no doubt means my HC's & pom pom were adult sized when I got them. Growing animals molt more frequently than adults, but the latter still do molt occasionally...

 

And remember not to panic when you observe the cast-off exoskeleton! It can look remarkably like a dead crab.

 

--Diane