Do you think snails & hermits make a difference?
I used to have loads of snails & hermits
now I'm down to a large snail & a cowrie
What are your thoughts?
A few things grazing snails can impact:
- microalgae (mainly smaller grazers)
- certain macro algaes
A few things hermits can impact:
- tougher to remove filamentous alges (depends strongly on the species of hermit though)
- macro algaes (they'll rip it up but not always eat it, although that can keep it from getting too established in any one spot)
- out of control populations of not-so-good bristleworm species
- uneaten meaty foods
Arguably no tank "needs" hermits or snails. There are other animals that can substitute and perform the same ecological roles, with glass cleaning being about the only thing that it's tough to find a snail-substitute for. Personally I've found combinations of both to be useful, but it requires a fair degree of forethought regarding species choices to have a successful tank where you don't end up with attrition down to only one or two animals. IMO many stores and also websites advise people poorly on stocking and recommend far too many hermits/snails for a given tank size.
I'm not convinced about how good hermits are at eating food the fish miss
Not sure I understand what you're referring to here, but IME unless you're referring to uneaten meaty foods that the fish ignore, other fish waste will be ignored by most hermit species when food becomes scarce in favor of snails and sometimes even other hermits.
They told me that for the most part they'll eventually kill your snails and become a nusiance.
If you choose the species poorly, overstock, and/or underfeed, then certainly. Most people don't seem to have a good idea of the hermit species that are running around their tanks or the expected behavior of the species before they purchase the hermits, so it's not surprising that so many hermit stockings fail eventually.
