red/orange "stuff"

[RandyFolds]

You have to write stuff on the shells and laugh when you see them walking around with hilarious messages on them.

[Bergy]

make sure the shells you get are safe for salt water.

A lot of 'ornamental' shells are treated or sprayed with toxic junk...

and yea, writing or painting on those shells can be fun.. i guess...

[cruzincaril]

not fun when u think about the murder that was committed to get that shell!!

[Learner]

not fun when u think about the murder that was committed to get that shell!!

 :'( :'( :'( :'(

[pinkorchid]

Got these ones from ebay and they were listed as extra hermit shells. Didn't say treated but did say polished :-\ Any trick to telling if they are okay to use?

You have to write stuff on the shells and laugh when you see them walking around with hilarious messages on them.

hehe...

[Learner]

Depends how they were polished methinks.....if they mean painted/varnished, or just 'polished'!!

I always boil any shells before they go into the tank :-\, seems to work for me.
decisions decisions eh?
BTW great idea about writing on shells  :D

[cruzincaril]

yeh never thought of boiling them but i did buy them from a fish place..loooonng ago..yeh the shells can say...eat me...pick me...kick me...LOL

[Just_Greg]

sometimes it's tuff to get a good CUC started.

IME, i've never had a hermit kill a Nassarius, because they "sleep" in the substrate, and as Lanny mentioned, they're fast a hell.  the only trouble is, they do nothing in terms of algae eating, but for leftover food, poop, and detritus, they're tops.

i dunno what kind of snails you're losing, but i can tell you that Astrea are particularly vulnerable as they can't right themselves after a fall, so it's like ringing the dinner bell...

[cruzincaril]

yeh some of those astreas..always watching for them so i can right them back up..but i dont know about the nass what killed them off if not the crabs..still have some left but not like before.

[Learner]

Why would you take the shells out? You seem to think the crabs are killing the snails for the shells, so if that is indeed the case, wouldn't you want to leave them in there? I personally have never had trouble with hermits killing snails, although every once in a while I see one wearing a margarita shell on its back.

You can just buy a bag of nassarius shells for dirt cheap and throw them in your tank for the hermits. That is what I do.

Nassarius snails are STRONG and fast as all hell. I can't imagine a hermit catching and killing one. Are you sure that they are being killed and not just starving to death in an immature tank?

I only have one hermit at the moment, and have 'spare shells' in the tank; I just remove what I think is not needed.

I did not say the crab was killing the snails, in fact, I have no idea what is - not that it is an ongoing massacre-. ???

The snails are not starving to death, believe me, there is more than enough algae, detritus etc to go around. ;D

[Just_Greg]

sometimes, snails (and other inverts) simply have a tuff time making the transistion from one system to another, or from the ocean to the wholesaler to the LFS, and finally to your tank.  changes in pH, salinity (esp. going from high to low, unlike fish), and nitrate levels can all play a part in inverts not making it.  snails and echinoderms are particularly at risk.