invertebrate questions

[gotseamonkey]

are hermit crabs bad to have in a reef tank? i heard they were but no idea why. and is it possible to have hermits, snails, and shrimps in one tank? thanks in advance for the help

[Ninong]

Hermit crabs can be problematic in reef tanks. Some are more problematic than others. All hermit crabs will eat benthic microfauna and some will occasionally cause problems with corals. Whether you keep them or not is up to you. It's one of those personal preference things. I kept a dozen scarlet reef hermits in my 120-gal tank only because I thought they were cute. In retrospect, I wish I had gotten only three or four. I inadvertently added about 18 so-called micro-hermits only because they came free with a package deal from Hawaii. I later regretted that move and removed all of those little terrorists. None of them stayed small as promised. They got large fast and they definitely attacked some of my snails, either for their shells or just for the hell of it.

So, suit yourself on the hermit crab issue. Maybe you could get just a few and see how you like them before going crazy?

Yes, you can keep hermits, snails and shrimp in the same tank except that some hermits may attack some snails.

[dibenni]

Ninong hit the nail on the head. They can sometimes cause problems and sometimes be fine (isn't it that way with everything - it seems like some people have luck with things that just shouldn't work in a reef tank, or at least claim to).

I can tell you that I have 8 hermits in my 55 gallon reef (or what is on its way to being a reef - I only have a handful of corals at this point - taking my time) and they are fine. To answer your specific question - my hermits do not bother my shrimp or snails - but they also do not bother the corals. I enjoy them and think they have a lot of character.

[kevinpo]

The safest ones are the tiny blue leg ones with the scarlet being the next. The ones froam Hawaii (zebra) will become quite large and somewhat aggressive.

HTH,
Kevin