To Crab or not to Crab...

[Poseidon]

Many will know that I am firmly opposed to using the clawed devils in my main display, I find that a mix of snails has worked very well for me in the past.

What do YOU use in the display tank? Do YOU use any clean up crew in the sump?

I plan on using:

Mexican Turbo Snails
Trochus Snails
Nassarious Vibex
1 Strombus Alatus
and a handful of Cerith snails for my current tank.

Please share what you have, or what you will be adding, or both!

 

[kirkleigh84]

I been using hdrmots but getting away from ghem. They kill each other off to much. Going all snails.

 

[BeakerBob]

I have a bright red strawberry crab that only comes out at night. Doesn't seem to hurt any corals or fish as I think it is a herbivore.

I like shrimp! I have two pistol shrimp that keep the substrate turned over and have a symbiotic relationship with some om my fish. They are fun to watch and do not eat any corals. You do have to watch any frags you may have on the floor substrate as they may cover, bury or move them around.

 

[thewackyreefer]

In my 70g I keep no more than a few crabs. I really wouldn't keep any because they tear food out of my acans but my fiance loves them. Just gotta keep them in line while I'm feeding.

 

[Poseidon]

I have been considering a shrimp or two.... for some reason those claws don't seem to bother me as much.

 

[ColaAddict]

Shrimps are even worse than crabs if u like feeding your corals. They are always the first ones to corals mouths with food and sometimes damage the corals mouths

 

[Dixie_reefer]

I have like 5 hermits, a turbo snail, several nass snails, a few ceriths, a margarita, and an astrea in my 10. Only had one hermit loss within the few months my tank has been running but other than that no damage.

 

[Mike&Terry]

The only crabs we keep are commensal coral crabs. Our CUC is a mix of large nassarius, small nassarius, nerite, a few turbo's, dwarf ceriths, several large fighting conchs and several detritus eating sea cucumbers.

-M&T

 

[revhtree]

Definitely no hermits! Emeralds have been ok for me.

 

[skinz78]

My wrasses eat my hermits so it's snails for me.

 

[GrouperStupor]

You need a couple of conchs also. They're interesting to watch.

I got tired of hermits also. I went crabless on two tanks I set up recently. Mostly Nassarius. Short term results are good. No refug. Just a sump with socks, skimmer, and lots of macro algae.

 

[rajkovich207]

I had two red leg hermits that did very well with hair algea, other than that I bought a small zebra hermit who is huge now that is a terror to my corals, any time I feed he literally climbs over ALL my corals checking them for food. He made the mistake of checking my maxi mini once. Lucky for him the wife is in love with him so he stays for now but will spend the remainder of his time in the fuge of the new tank. Also had a peppermint shrimp, and I came to find out he was eating, yes eating I watched him do it. Some of my rics and a gorgonia, and a couple other corals. Needless to say I gave him to the local petland. I felt bad doing it but he had to go asap and couldn't rehome him. Will be all snails from now on!

 

[Starblenny]

The only crab I get is an Acro Crab. Keeps the sps happy for me.

 

[NanaReefer]

1 BL hermit-1 Randall's pistol shrimp-1 Skunk cleaner shrimp and assorted snails.

 

[buddythelion]

Snails only! I dislike shrimps and crabs for all the reasons posted above.

 

[strange33w]

I use a few dwarf zebra hermits in mine always have but I like the way they look and act

 

[Poseidon]

It seems the "No Crabs club" is growing.

I was thinking of adding a pair of Cleaner Shrimp, I have tried Peppermints in the past, but they seem to disappear quick in previous tanks, no idea what was eating them.

 

[Pkunk35]

I used to have about a dozen Hermits and about 7 sexy shrimp in my 20gal but eventually took them all out b/c they were pulling food out of the coral consistently. The hermits were bit better about the food, but I'll only keep the small scarlet ones now b/c bigger hermits tended to bulldoze my coral frags a lot.

Now the only cuc i feel that i need are amphipods/pods, stomatella snails (they reproduce like crazy) and the critters in the sand bed.

 

[chort55]

I like hermits, they have always been ok with me. Sure they will knock out a snail here or there if they don't have open shells but whooo $.10-.20..... I keep a couple in my 180. I find them entertaining if nothing else.


My entire clean up crew for my 180 is as follows:
10-15 astraea snails
1 nassarius
1 urchin (purple/ white pincushion)
5 nerite
2-3 turbo's
1 yellow tang
multiple wrasses (mix the sand when they go to bed, and keep an eye on the corals for parasites/ bugs)

And yes I did say that was my entire cuc for a 180. I get some algae on the back and side glass (inwall tank and I've never cleaned either), but nothing horrible and nothing on the rocks!