Got My Cuc!

[fishwatcher]

Today I got:

1 olive snail (so pretty!!)
2 turbo snails
2 stocky cerith snails
8-10 hermits (zebra, plain pale blue and what I thought were red-tipped, but were blue ones with red spots on the legs.) (I think one or two of the shells were actually empty!)

I'm acclimating them right now, so I'll try to get pix in a while.
Oh! And I think I have a copepod that came in with the hermits. (At least that's what I hope it is!)

 

[fishwatcher]

I'm wondering, could I get any more hermits or snails? I am thinking of maybe a couple of astria snails and then 2-3 scarlet hermits. This would be in addition to the:
clownfish
blenny (lawnmower or scooter)
firefish
and a small wrasse or other similar fish (my lfs even recommended a dwarf angelfish? I was thinking maybe a small jawfish?))
possibly a brittle starfish and/or urchin (later on)

Would an emerald crab kill/eat any of the above? I think those are really cute!
Thanks!

 

[fishwatcher]

Here's a pic of one of the hermits.... he left his shell for this huge thing in the tank! He was actually trying to walk and pull this behind him like he's a Peterbilt or something! LOL
He finally left it alone and went walking around for a while. He's back in his old shell now. Nut!

 

[Donya]

This is the 20g you mentioned in the other thread, right? Depending on the size of the tank, food available, and other herbivores present, Turbos + Astreas = potentially starved Astreas. Some Turbo species (particularly T. fluctuosa) are much more efficient munchers of the types of algae Astreas eat. Species like T. undulatus/undulata (zebra turbo) are less competative. Trochus are also less easily out-competed and eat some things Turbos don't, plus they are more easily target fed if necessary. I'm not a fan of the more common Astrea species as they stress extreemly easily, have a narrow range of foods they'll accept, and get stuck easily. So far I've only run accross one species in the family Astreas belong to that has been a good cleaner and lasted a long time, and I've never found a 2nd one of that species or IDed it successfully. Anyway, in general, if you can find them, Trochus are much better than Astreas.

blenny (lawnmower or scooter)

I was wondering about a scooter blenny once, but the LFS guys (that I actually do trust since they're not out to just sell a bunch of fish at this particular place) had said they're like manderins and require a pretty much constant source of live food and are very difficult to feed. Probably wouldn't stand a great chance in smaller tanks. As for the lawnmower blenny, be cautious how many herbivores you add; I had a lawnmower blenny years ago and it scraped the rocks clean of algae that would otherwise have been snail food (didn't have snails in the tank at the time).

I was thinking maybe a small jawfish?))

I was under the impression that these guys need a DSB; don't know if you have one of those set up or not.


(edited to fix typos)

 

[n3ont3tra]

This is the 20g you mentioned in the other thread, right? Depending on the size of the tank, food available, and other herbivores present, Turbos + Astreas = potentially starved Astreas. Some Turbo species (particularly T. fluctuosa) are much more efficient munchers of the types of algae Astreas eat. Species like T. undulatus/undulata (zebra turbo) are less competative. Trochus are also less easily out-competed and eat some things Turbos don't, plus they are more easily target fed if necessary. I'm not a fan of the more common Astrea species as they stress extreemly easily, have a narrow range of foods they'll accept, and get stuck easily. So far I've only run accross one species in the family Astreas belong to that has been a good cleaner and lasted a long time, and I've never found a 2nd one of that species or IDed it successfully. Anyway, in general, if you can find them, Trochus are much better than Astreas.

blenny (lawnmower or scooter)

I was wondering about a scooter blenny once, but the LFS guys (that I actually do trust since they're not out to just sell a bunch of fish at this particular place) had said they're like manderins and require a pretty much constant source of live food and are very difficult to feed. Probably wouldn't stand a great chance in smaller tanks. As for the lawnmower blenny, be cautious how many herbivores you add; I had a lawnmower blenny years ago and it scraped the rocks clean of algae that would otherwise have been snail food (didn't have snails in the tank at the time).

I was thinking maybe a small jawfish?))

I was under the impression that these guys need a DSB; don't know if you have one of those set up or not.


(edited to fix typos)

I agree with that whole post.

 

[fishwatcher]

Ok, cool then... no more snails. I may try one of the easier blennies, if there is one that perches/watches like the LM and scooter do. I think they are just so very adorable!!
Ixnay on the jawfish, too, as my sand bed is only 2-3 inches deep.
Do you think an emerald crab and/or a few scarlet hermits would be ok to add?
Thanks for the help!!

 

[Donya]

If you've got zebra hermits, and they are these guys,

http/www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_di...tid=613&N=0

then they will rip up hermits of other species given the opportunity, so additional hermits might not be a great idea. I would watch for aggression in your existing hermits and see how they get along over time before thinking of adding more. Calcinus laevimanus will get very aggressive if overcrowded. If your zebra hermits are a different species with the same common name, then they may be ok with scarlets, but make sure they have space or even scarlets will turn to ripping up ones smaller than themselves. Hermits also don't stay the size that most are when sold and the species don't grow at the same rates, which can lead to problems later on if they're overcrowded.

Emerald crabs are iffy. I've never seen a LFS willing to risk them in their snail/hermit tanks despite claims about compatability, so that right there has always suggested a potential problem to me. I've heard reports that although really small crabs may do ok, larger emeralds (and they do get big) will prey on snails if they get turned over, and I've also been told that they will go after small hermits. So, putting them in with things like conches and smaller/weaker snails and mini hermits is definitely ruled out. But again, it's a case of how many herbivores you want to add. The consideration with emerald crabs is that if they run out of herbivore foods, they will become opportunistic omnivores, so you risk having your cleanup crew trimmed down unexpectedly if the algae runs out and the crab gets hungry.

 

[fishwatcher]

Oh great! These are the same zebra hermits! I wonder why they didn't tell me that at the store...
Well, I guess I'll keep a close eye on them. I have only 2 zebras, then 3-4 each of the blue legged (looks just gray-ish color to me) and the blue legged one that has red dots at the joints.
The lfs guy said he's start with at least 10 hermits, if not more. So I got 10, 2 of which ended up being empty. Is that too many?
The lfs guy also said it was iffy with an emerald crab, so at least he was right on about that.
Thanks!

 

[Donya]

I think (this is mainly speculation here) that most LFS people probably only see the young zebra hermits that come in and then don't see the adult aggression. All of my zebra hermits that I've kept over time have all played fairly nicely initially, grown a bit, and then started to get really aggressive. The other problem with "zebra hermits" is that I do have one that looks identical to the picture in the liveaquaria listing that has gotten enormous and I now refer to it as Crabzilla...it killed all the other hermits in my 12 gallon tank in about a week, but on the flipside it's also turned out to be a better cleaner than all of the others put together. I think most people overestimate the number of hermits needed in small tanks. If they're healthy and grow to full size, they're pretty efficient with just a few.

The lfs guy said he's start with at least 10 hermits, if not more. So I got 10, 2 of which ended up being empty. Is that too many?

Might not be; just keep an eye on them as the tank matures. The main things to watch for are hermits missing limbs suddenly and hermits running around naked frequently despite having access to other shells. However, keeping a good supply of empty shells in a range of sizes for them and periodically giving them access to meaty foods will eliminate most of the common causes for aggression.

 

[fishwatcher]

Will do! Thanks!!!

 

[littleme1969]

Scooter Blenny..
I have one in a 15g tank and hes doing just great..

I made sure he was eating frozen when I bought him. I also bought a good selsction of what they had been feeding him on from the shop too to make sure he would eat OK.
I always turn off powerheads and filter when I feed, so a good mix of food drop to the bottom where scooter goes round and does his hoover thing He eats frozen Brine Shrimp/Mysis Shrimp/Krill/octopus and pretty much any other frozen stuff I put in for him. I also bought some pods which where added to my sump at the back of the tank and with the help of a bit of extra plankton feeding they are now breeding supper well and he spends his days scootering round the rocks picking them off. He has to be one of the most entertaining and cute fish I have ever owned

 

[drag]

wow cool scooter blenny pics. damn you now i want one

 

[Donya]

The key things to note regarding that case:

I made sure he was eating frozen when I bought him.

Good find there. Can't say I've ever seen one at a LFS that does, or at least not one where they've said it could be fed that as a primary diet.

I also bought some pods which where added to my sump at the back of the tank

If you can do that, sure. But I hadn't seen a sump reference in fishwatcher's posts. I think if you've got a big enough sump to grow pods in you're good to go with a lot of the finicky fish, but a 20g w/o sump wouldn't be able to supply enough especially if other fish are present (since they'll eat the pods too).

 

[fishwatcher]

Do watchman gobies have the same overall demeanor as the scooter/MLM blennies? You know, watching you, perching in that so cute way? Or is there another hardier blenny/goby that does?
Those scooter blenny pix are TOO cute!!! Thanks for sharing them!

 

[littleme1969]

The key things to note regarding that case:

I made sure he was eating frozen when I bought him.

Good find there. Can't say I've ever seen one at a LFS that does, or at least not one where they've said it could be fed that as a primary diet.

I also bought some pods which where added to my sump at the back of the tank

If you can do that, sure. But I hadn't seen a sump reference in fishwatcher's posts. I think if you've got a big enough sump to grow pods in you're good to go with a lot of the finicky fish, but a 20g w/o sump wouldn't be able to supply enough especially if other fish are present (since they'll eat the pods too).

Ive bought stock from a few places and both sell scooters that are fed on frozen food. maybe its a UK thing, but as long as you ask I cant see there is a problem. Ive seen many people on here keep them with no problems and they do well.
Mines put on lots of weight and is supper active and very cute/cheeky with it. He even eats baby brine shrimp I squirt them down to the gravel where they hang around and he goes round hoovering them up Scooter