snail plague

catchndolphn · #1 01/07/2008, 10:28 PM

hey everyone,
I have been having problems with my tank everytime I buy snails for my tank a few days later i find them being eaten by crabs. I have tried astrea, nirite, and turbos. I try to right them when i see them flipped and all nitrites and nitrates are correct. Everything else in my tank seems to be thriving including other inverts, any ideas on what to do next?

chrisalmand · #2 01/07/2008, 10:44 PM

take the crabs out.

DrHank · #3 01/07/2008, 10:53 PM

Agree, crabs love snails. They think they are delicious! Many folks won't have crabs in their tank for that very reason. I'm one of them.

IslandCrow · #4 01/08/2008, 07:32 AM

Everyone gives crabs such a hard time. . .if you're like me and like having crabs in the tank, give trochus snails a shot. You'll most likely have to order them online I'm afraid. They're very similar to astraeas, but they can right themselves (though it takes them awhile if they're on the sand). You may also just have too many crabs. I had the same issue initially, but after awhile, snail deaths became very uncommon in my tank. I had one snail upside down in a part of the tank I just couldn't easily get to. He eventually got eaten, but it was only after many days there, and at that point it had probably died on its own.

Acro-Phobia · #5 01/08/2008, 07:35 AM

Crabs are after one of two things, food or a new home. If you have extra larger empty shells in the tank for the crabs to grow into, that should keep them from stealing snail shells for a home. If it's because they are just plain hungry, they may not be getting enough residual food droppings that the fish don't catch. You can try a few sinking brine or algae pellets each day and see if the crabs go crazy over them. If they do, it may just be they are starved. I think it would have to be one of those two reasons. Have never read or heard of crazed crabs that just go on killing sprees for the fun of it.

JaredWaites · #6 01/08/2008, 09:17 AM

Quote:

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11548467#post11548467 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Acro-Phobia
Crabs are after one of two things, food or a new home. If you have extra larger empty shells in the tank for the crabs to grow into, that should keep them from stealing snail shells for a home. If it's because they are just plain hungry, they may not be getting enough residual food droppings that the fish don't catch. You can try a few sinking brine or algae pellets each day and see if the crabs go crazy over them. If they do, it may just be they are starved. I think it would have to be one of those two reasons. Have never read or heard of crazed crabs that just go on killing sprees for the fun of it.

You hit that one on the dot. Not enough food hitting the sand bed for them, or they are looking for a new home.