my crabs are eating my star....

[TRe]

i notice yesterday that my crabs are picking at my starfish .... do you know of any other small starfish that my crabs wont bother??

 

[dbacksrat]

what kind of crabs? hermit crabs?

 

[1979camaro]

usually crabs only go for dead/dying stuff (being scavengers)...what kind of starfish is it? and are you sure it is alive?

 

[yamahaguy06]

yes that would suck if it was not alive.,..and you didn't know Tre

 

[TRe]

i can still see the little tentacles moving and it is still moving about in the tank..im not exactly sure what type of star it is but if it helps at all its red and has little black dots on it and it about the size of a quarter

 

[yamahaguy06]

wow he is small, you think he would just move up the glass or something to get away from the crabs....

 

[TRe]

oh yea and there small blue leg hermits

 

[TRe]

wow he is small, you think he would just move up the glass or something to get away from the crabs....

well he was on a rock that the crabs seem to like to chill on

 

[1979camaro]

i think, looking at your signature, part of the problem may be there are way too many crabs in your tank. 20 hermits in a ten gallon is ridiculous. they are probably starving and so have gone after the starfish.

is it this guy? http://users.cwnet.com/phelps/blk_spot.jpg (Fromia milleporella)

 

[aresgod]

I would agree with camaro on that one, take 15 of those hermits and distribute them throughout your other tanks

 

[jammerz]

those fromias are hard to keep

 

[TRe]

yea thats the star....the crabs are really tiny though i couldnt put them in any of my other tanks (they'll get eaten...i only asked for 10 and the guy at the whole saller gave me 20 and just charged me for 10 (12 cents each )

 

[jammerz]

what make syou think they'll get eaten. You have crabs in the other tanks, they have a protective shell.....

 

[1979camaro]

i don't know what to tell you then...but hey, at least you know what you have in your tank now

 

[TRe]

thanks for the help camaro...and the reason i think they'll get eaten is because they are soo small all the crabs i got in the other tanks are much much bigger...hey camaro how many should i keep?? just 10??

 

[1979camaro]

i would say 5-10 max...probably 5 would be best. honestly, im surprised any crabs and snails have escaped your puffer and trigger (no matter what size). also, i would think about moving the pencil urchin into one of the other tanks...ten gallons is way too small for an urchin

 

[TRe]

wich tank would you say is best for the urchin?? btw the undulated trigger ate the first few hermits i put in there but i needed something to cleanup the mess that was left behind so i went i got this really really huge hermit and they are fine together and as far as the puffer he doesnt mind the hermits at all i think he kinda likes them

 

[1979camaro]

the urchin will be best in the largest tank provided the trigger and puffer don't go after it (which i don't think they will); they need a lot of room to scavenge for food so you may have to supplement it with some seaweed or something.

im not trying to attack you, just asking a question, but do you research anything before you buy it? it seems like a lot of times you just come home with stuff which is not suitable for your tank so if the LFS is suggesting these things perhaps you need to verify them here or in a book before you buy

 

[TRe]

im not trying to attack you, just asking a question, but do you research anything before you buy it? it seems like a lot of times you just come home with stuff which is not suitable for your tank so if the LFS is suggesting these things perhaps you need to verify them here or in a book before you buy

i usually listen to the lfs but sometimes they tell me if its not such a good idea thats what makes me think there not just after my money... on the other hand i know there not always right... im planning on picking up a 65 gallon from a friend wich i plan on turning into a reef tank so ill be putting every thing from the 10 gallon in there soon and im also gona get a 120 gallon

 

[TRe]

the urchin will be best in the largest tank provided the trigger and puffer don't go after it (which i don't think they will); they need a lot of room to scavenge for food so you may have to supplement it with some seaweed or something.

ok if i do decide to put the urchin in the 55 gallon do u think the high nitrates will harm it? or should i just wait till i upgrade to the 65 gallon reef?
(wich probally wont happen for at least a month or 2)