Another Noob Question
 

Hi everyone. I've got a quick question. Yesterday I bought some turbo snails (I think. They do have conical shaped shells). Once I brought them home and accimated them, into my tank they went. Almost instantly they got attcked by one of my hermit crabs (I'm not sure what kind it is. It has greyish legs, with red tips). I have a ton of extra shells in there and have had since the tank was started up. I seperated them this time, but when I awoke this morning it had happened again. I thought hermits were supposed to be reef safe? Is this a bad apple of a crab? A bad species? Is this going to happen every time I put some snails in the tank? Can this unprovoked attack be prevented?

IMO hermits can be predatory when they don't have enough to eat or they sense tastiness approaching, in the form of new snails. I haven't kept hermits for years for exactly this reason. At 1.69 each, its a pretty pricey hermit crab dinner.

Technically hermits are "reef safe" but I think you pays your money and takes your chances on some of these items.

I know I have a lot less snails now than the 60+ I started with. I've gotten rid of my larger hermits. Not sure if that has helped.

hermits bad

I think all hermits will attack snails. They seem to get worse when they get larger. When mine get too big they go in the refugium. Won't be buying anymore either!

hermits love a free meal thats for sure, pretty sure i've read that theres not one species that won't take advantage of an upside down snail. they're also annoying when you feed anemones/ lps as they usually start climbing on the coral and pciking at it, which really annoys it. for example a condy anemones worst anemone just happens to be a hermit:twised:, definitely would'nt deem them reef-safe, more evil than anything..