help! tube worms being eaten!

[ozfish]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#hi im new here. i have a 2ft(15g?) semi reef tank. all i have in there are various bits and peices that come in on live rock i collect at the beach. its been alright for 6 months but just today i discovered my tube worms tube had been broken in half. another smaller tube worm had been eaten. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#i suspect its either one of the pink-clawed mangrove crabs or a large white one that has been in there since it was 1/3 of an inch(its now an inch). there are also 2 yellow striped hermits (large) and a large blue hermit. please help!#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#thanks#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[graphixx]

easy sollution, remove all of your crabs. Crabs and hermits are opportunistic feeders, when they come across something that looks good to eat they are going to eat them.

[ozfish]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#what a downer. if i remove them the tanks got nothing in it. everythings from the beach, things that are generally easy to keep. like crabs, aiptasia anemones(i like them, and they aint hurting anything) and the like. also, my large hermit wont move shells. hes currently in a spiked murex shell and wont move into any of the other 4-5 shells ive put in there for him. any ideas to make him change?#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[zoo-a-holic]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Ya, it sucks, they can be so neat looking but so mean!#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[ozfish]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#is there any way to get a tube worm off the rock?#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[graphixx]

yeah let the crabs eat them! I am assuming they are just the little tube worms correct. if so just let your crabs have at them. but if they are the big ones they are difficult to remove and you run the risk of stressing them out and killing them. if they get stressed alot of times they will abandon their tube and that is not good.

[ozfish]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#the big one was about 4 inches long curving allong the rock, but the tubes been cracked down to about 2 inches. the worms still alive but is not showing its fan. the other one was about half an inch. there are also small ones imbeded in the rock but they dont seem to be afected. i think ill just leave them in there and see what happens.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[zoo-a-holic]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#ya that could be a littletough. Just like graphixx said.... let them eat em!#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[graphixx]

that is what I would do it would be too hard to remove the feather dusters. the worst thing that will happen is you will end up with fat crabs!!!!! and if that is a problem just get some melted butter and you know the rest mmmmmmmmmmmmm

[zoo-a-holic]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#lol. yeppers. i dont know that they will get that big! but you better get the butter out just in case! If you are REALLY wanting to save 1 or 2 just try to take them off the rock as close to the rock as possible.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[ozfish]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#dont like crab. nothings happened so far.i only feed the tank some pellets every 3 days, maby they where just hungry. ah well, didnt pay anything, everything in there is stuff that i caught at the beach.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#