Need advice: Hermits in a reef tank

[JeffersonReef]

Hey all. Doing the big tank upgrade tonight. Need some advice. I have several various hermits in my current tank (blue leg, scarlet, etc)... maybe 30 or so. I cant be sure... but I think they have killed off a couple of snails, etc.... should I take this opportunity to remove them from the tank and take em to the LFS? I dont have a problem with algae, as I have tangs and an angel that take good care of that... and I also plan to add a lawnmower blenny... so is there any other reason that I would want to keep em?

What do you think? Keep em or take em back to the LFS? Thanks.

-Tony

[JownsenJesus]

I would say keep them. Killing off a couple of snails here or there is not a very big price to pay to have those active scavangers eating whatever food or dead fish may have gotten stuck somewhere.

[Corriander]

I have had a lot of luck with blue-leg and scarlets in reef tanks. Scarlets in particular.

It is the zebra and red-tipped hermits that have turned in to roving snail/crab eaters. I watched a zebra yank a blue-leg out of his shell (killing it in the process), try the now vacant shell on for 5 seconds and then go back to his original one. 5 minutes later he got plopped in to a friends clown/anenome only tank.

If you decide to get rid of them, I was planning on buying blue-leg and scarlet hermits today for a tank I just set up for a friend. I am sure a trade could be arranged.

[gcarroll]

I use the Scarlet and Mexican Baja hermits (about 200). Scarlet's are very expensive and the Baja's have seemed just as effective. I have had no issues with them killing snails but then again I don't have any. That dang guerrilla crab took care of those!

[FOSELONE]

a jefferson...how much if you decide to sell them...ill pick them all up...lmk