given bad advice on hermit crabs

I dont understand how on countless occasions I have been told to have one blue legged hermit crab per 1 Gallon in a reef tank...

I had two tiny blue legged hermits in my 20 gal tank for about 3 weeks. everything was fine, they never faught. When my tank was in need for a larger clean-up crew I added 1 larger blue-legged hermit crab, 2 white-legged hermits, 1 turbo snail, and 3 nassarius snails... within half an hour the small hermit crabs are attacking the larger ones, including the snails... I even have 5 extra shells in the tank.

what a bad idea that was. Cant imagine what it would be like with 15 more in my tank......

what should I do about this?

 

Do you have a sump with a fuge? The could be moved down there so the dont kill any more snails.

 

Give them extra empty shells, and get some dried seaweed to rubber band to a rock. That is not an overly large amount of CuC for that tank, and the fighting is either a lack of food supply (thus eating the snails ) or them trying to take their shells for a new larger home. This way you cover both bases at once.

 

I have 50+ hermits (98% are blue leg) and about 200 snails in my 40B and have yet to see a problem. You may have the wrong size shells or not enough which would cause the hermits to attack bigger snails/crabs for their shell.

 

Sounds like the two smaller hermits were starving. I agree with Atticus818.

 

Should I be feeding my hermits? because there is TONS of algea in the tank right now, and the two hermits I have had for about three weeks are very tiny. I just assumed they eat algea. I feed mysis shrimp twice a week also. ALSO the three other larger hermits that I put in today have been feeding non-stop on all the algea and what not.

Should I feed seaweed regardless?

 

Try taking a piece of silverside or shrimp and rubber band it to a small rock and drop it to the bottom of the tank. The crabs will tear it up. I also use a baster to give my bigger crabs some mysis when i am feeding my coral.
I have a couple hermits that are bigger than golf balls and they love when i feed them

 

I have heard a lot of people stating that blue legs can be quite aggressive towards each other. I prefer the red leg hermits as they seem much more peaceful. I have some brown ones as well and they even seem a bit more aggressive than the other ones towards each other. Although I have never seen them attack a snail. I have a lot of empty shells for them.