Hermit Carnivores

[duckhuntboy]

I've got a problem with the hermits in my tank (1 scarlet reef, one blue-leg, one zebra)

 

I've added some snails, but the crabs feast on them. Even the scarlet reef hermit devours the snails, one by one. My dwarf zebra hermit is sporting a new shell, and the other two are just hungry I guess. I really want to keep some healthy astreas in my tank (and my girlfriend loves the hermits more than anything else in the new tank...). Has anyone else had this problem, or know a solution?

 

I'm even abusive to my crabs, knocking them to the other side of the tank when I see it, but they aren't afraid. They just run back to the feast.

 

I don't feed my tank anything (as there's nothing in it but mini-critters), but would some formula one or something help calm the appetite?

[matteo_gugliotta]

I think you should feed hermit. Try using pellet food.

Hermit are onnivourus and they eat simply what they found.

I've found my hermit feasting on my snail but the snail was ill since few days so I suppose the snail died by itself. I don't think they feast on live snail or fish.

[duckhuntboy]

My crabs definately were tearing the snails off the glass, and eating them alive.

[Yup]

I throw in a couple of sinking shrimp pellets broken into pieces every other day. With in 10 seconds of hitting the bottom, the CB shrimp has a piece, so does the sally, all the nass. snails magically appear from under the sand, and the hermitts start make their migration to a piece of pellet. Its amazing how fast they respond to the pellets being dropped in!

[smfyr241]

My crabs gang tackled a queen conch yesterday......(emerald and red leg)......both ate him at the same time!

[Vandur]

Kyle,

 

I had the exact same issue.. though it started a little bit differently.

 

6 months ago I had a heater short and ended up frying my tank, killing all of my live animals (snails, fish, hermits, etc). After setting up a new tank I dropped in two new hermits, and after about a day or two I started noticing "downed" snails. A few days later I say my hermits pulling them off the glass and eating them.

 

After experimenting a bit (LFS guy said I should just return them and get new ones), I found that they only eat "certain" types of snails... So, today I still have my two meat eating hermits, but I have a whole new specicies of snails (the names escape me at the moment).

 

PS: I have also tried the shrimp pellet method, and while it seemed to slow them down "a bit" the still finished off all the snails.

 

~R

[Acoustic]

I agree and identify with you. WHAT IS UP WITH GIRLFRIENDS AND HERMIES! Mine told me that if I ditched them and got snails only (which is what I want to do) she would sack me in the nuts.