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Clean up crew


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  1. #1
    CR Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Aston,PA
    Posts
    31
    First Name
    Michael

    Default Clean up crew

    HEllo
    I did some agua scaping over the weekend and noticed a considerable amount of empty hermit crab/snail shells. The number of my clean up crew is also diminshed not suprisingly. I counted 15 snails and 8 hermits. Tank is very clean,65 gallon,tek- light with 6x39 watt bulbs and sump. Should I increase my cleanup crew or do you think this is just the result of the crew versus the dirt naturally balancing out? About six months ago I noticed when I fed the tank all the cleanup crew went nuts chasing the food like they were starving.
    THAnks Mike

  2. #2
    jojo22 - Reefkeeper Registered User
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Canton, Ohio
    Posts
    2,828

    Default

    If your tank is clean I would leave it alone, some if not all of the dead cleaners probably died due to lack of food.
    Does water always taste like salt and poo????


  3. #3
    Reptoreef - Reefkeeper CR Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Location
    Brigham City, Utah
    Posts
    2,530

    Default

    Or a hitch hiker... were the shells in one general area or pretty spread out?
    There's nowhere else I'ld rather be... unless, of course, you're buying

  4. #4
    CR Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Aston,PA
    Posts
    31
    First Name
    Michael

    Default

    They were all spread out. Plus tank has been running 18 months with only 5lbs of live rock to seed my DIY rock. So I doubt I have An unwanted hitchiker.
    Mike

  5. #5
    graphixx - Reefkeeper CR Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Idaho
    Posts
    2,785
    First Name
    Greg

    Default

    damm hitch hikers. I was looking in my tank 2 nights ago after lights out and what did I see....................2 damm gorilla crabs. there is no way in **** I am going to be able to catch them but I figure the tank has done well this long witht them in there I guess they can stay.
    fulltankshot 1 - Clean up crew

  6. #6
    CR Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    White Hall Maryland
    Posts
    177
    First Name
    Andy

    Default

    It seems most of my astrea snails don't live to long. Maybe 6 months to a year. It seems if the current or a fish knocks them off the rock or glass and they land on their backs they cant flip over and they die

  7. #7
    greg97527 - Reefkeeper CR Member
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Grants Pass, Oregon
    Posts
    595
    First Name
    Greg

    Default

    get some nassarius snails and some cerith snails, they can right themselves and do a great job
    It's all about the reef. :YEAH:

  8. #8
    CR Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    RI
    Posts
    11
    First Name
    John

    Default

    Great info. in feedback on this site. (I'm a forum virgin) and yet I am stumped. My poor hermit crabs seem to die off + it looks like holes are in some of their shells. The rest of tank - snails, tiny green crab, fish, soft coral, fan, etc. all doing sweet otherwise. Any idea if something hitched a ride to do this or ??? No other shells affected. Oh shucks, anyway - Hi all!

  9. #9
    graphixx - Reefkeeper CR Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Idaho
    Posts
    2,785
    First Name
    Greg

    Default

    now are they dying because your seeing their little bodies in the tank out of their shell??? the reason I ask this is because I bet 80% of the people on this forum have been fooled by a hermit crab molt of being a dead hermit. when they shed it looks EXACTLY like a dead hermit crab.
    fulltankshot 1 - Clean up crew

  10. #10
    eldiente - Reefkeeper CR Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Idaho
    Posts
    82

    Default

    I wonder if i have a hitchhiker also, I have one area in the tank where there are several astrea shells lying in a group, I've gotten up several times in the night to try and see if there is one, but have never seen one. Maybe I have a snail burial ground, kinda like the elephant burial grounds where all of the old elephants go to die, only with snails. Greg, many times I'll come up to my tank and think one of my cleaner shrimp is dead only to realize it is a molt, kinda throws ya for a second.
    Brian
    Twin Falls, ID
    210 AGA
    40 AGA

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