Hermits And Turbo Snails?

[Robert247]

Hello again,
I have just bought a few more red legged (The small reef safe ones) and one emerald crab. I was going to get a few Mexican turbo snails but i was advised against it as the hermits would remove the snails for the shells.
I have header this before before but i have kept hermits and snails together in the past without any problems.

I used to have some problems with my Electric Blue Hermit Crabs they would attack other hemits and i did notice snails going missing but they where much bigger and had much more powefull claws.

Most people on here seem to keep snails and hermits together for there CUC but i took the guys advice and left them (for now). Good thing i suppose, proves the guy wasnt pushing for a sale. First time i have used the place and it looked like a really well cared for aquarium with loads of choice and i will definitely use the place again .

 

[fishy55599]

i have 5 blue leg hermits, and 2 mexican turbos they are fine together.
but you still want spare shells so hermits dont kill each other for shells

 

[woody88]

i have 5 blue leg hermits, and 2 mexican turbos they are fine together.
but you still want spare shells so hermits dont kill each other for shells

+1

They will be fine together as long as there are plenty of spare shells. I find red legged hermits are more well behaved than blue legged ones.

 

[HappyGeorge]

In one tank I have blues, reds and halloweens with turbos and no problems in fact the hermits will sit on the snails and pick bits off the shells. In my other tank I have blue knuckles, and other assorted big hermits and some big mexican turbos but still no issues.

 

[Robert247]

Ok that's great news i will try and get some later this week. I have got loads of shells all different sizes so that shouldn't be a problem.

 

[Donya]

Whether hermits will go after snails isn't something where a blanket statement one way or the other is possible. You have to consider the specific hermit and snail species in question.

With average purchase sizes I've seen of hermits and snails, most even-handed hermits can't say "boo" to anything but a very sick or injured Turbo. The commonly sold hermits tend to be small Clibanarius species, Paguristes cadenati, and various Calcinus species. Small Clibanarius species will not be a threat to any reasonably-sized snail, as they simply don't have the strength to do much other than pick at one after it's dead. Paguristes cadenati can reach a pretty good size, but if the snails are still much larger than the hermit, they are likely safe for the same reason as with the small Clibanarius. For Calcinus species (the "electric blue" you have is probably Calcinus elegans), the big claw can be used to pry snail operculums open like a can opener, so they are able to take on bigger snails relative to their size than would be the case for the other hermit species mentioned.

There are also considerations on the snail side of things. If the Turbos are incredibly small, unhealthy, or aren't actually Turbos (other small, weaker species are often sold incorrectly as "Turbos") then it can be problematic. Basically, if you can reasonably imagine how the hermit might go about attacking the snail and the relative strengths of the animals make it plausible, then you may want to reconsider mixing the animals. If you have a feel for how strong the animals are, have tried to minimize stress on the hermits (plenty of shells and food, not overstocking), and don't see an obvious way that the snails would get pried apart, then the mix is probably fine.

I used to have some problems with my Electric Blue Hermit Crabs they would attack other hemits

Unfortunately an example of why it's better to pick one hermit species and stick with it. Mixed-species environments are always difficult to predict, although the odds of an incompatibility making itself known like that goes up sharply for small tanks. Stressed hermits will also mean more risk to snails.

 

[HappyGeorge]

What she says - Donya queen of the Snails, which sounds pretty weird now I've said it. I can imagine her on a huge throne carved of many shells and being waited on by trained snails (with the snails being followed by people with mops and buckets).

 

[seffieuk]

What she says - Donya queen of the Snails, which sounds pretty weird now I've said it. I can imagine her on a huge throne carved of many shells and being waited on by trained snails (with the snails being followed by people with mops and buckets).

Oh that is a brilliant image

 

[Robert247]

hmm ok that's great advice the turbo snails in question are being sold as "giant" Mexican turbo snails although they looked pretty regular sized to me, and the red hermits are small with small thin claws so i personally cant see a problem but i didn't want to go against what the guy at the LFS was saying and thought i would just check with the true experts!

 

[Robert247]

In fact after thinking about it the snails looked more like astrea snails than mexicans. I will have to go back and have a better look

 

[woody88]

What she says - Donya queen of the Snails, which sounds pretty weird now I've said it. I can imagine her on a huge throne carved of many shells and being waited on by trained snails (with the snails being followed by people with mops and buckets).

Lol

I now have this image in my head.................But donya has a shell of her own and her eyes are on tentacles!