Ohhhhh tiger pistol shrimp!

[ToplessCube]

So here’s the deal.... I put a decent sized clean-up crew in my tank when I first set it up. A month or so later, I started to see some green hair algae and thought, “where’s the CUC?” I figured that perhaps the hermits had outgrown their shells and then been eaten by something. So, I purchased more hermits along with some bumble bee snails, cerith snails and three scarlet hermits. Now, three weeks later, all I have is two scarlet hermits and two large turbo snails. But... I also have a pistol shrimp and YWG. Is the pistol shrimp the most likely culprit in the disappearance of my snails and hermits? I also have a green reef crab but I’ve never seen him interested in anything other than algae and brine shrimp. The other inhabitants are a small six-line wrasse, a tomato clown and a banggai cardinal. Any other ideas?

[Oldsalt01]

I'd be suspicious of the shrimp. He's not "packing" for nothing. The YWG may be his accomplice. The clown may be part of the gang as well, but I'd put my money on the first two.

[Raindog3030]

+1 on the pistol shrimp, the one I had (umpteen years ago) would assault any creatures that were introduced into "his" reef, of course, it was only 2.5 gallons, so his territory was the whole place!

[ToplessCube]

Yea....  I am beginning to agree. So next question... I like hermits and snails and they do a great job keeping things tidy. What else can serve that function? I don’t want to cause the death of anything. 

[Raindog3030]

How big is your reef?  Urchins, sandsifting stars, sea hairs, etc. are also good CUC choices if you have the space!

[Nocturnal]

1 hour ago, ToplessCube said:

Yea....  I am beginning to agree. So next question... I like hermits and snails and they do a great job keeping things tidy. What else can serve that function? I don’t want to cause the death of anything. 

I picked up a lettuce nudibranch and he does some good work on algae on the glass and rock. Nobody is likely to eat him. What about some Trochus snails? They seem to be the toughest type of snail in regards to defending themselves or feed the shrimp more?