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Thread: Questions regarding life span

  1. #1
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    Questions regarding life span

    What are your observed life spans for:

    Red Leg Hermits
    Blue Leg Hermits
    Emerald Crabs
    Cleaner Shrimp
    Nasarius Snails
    Turbo Snails
    Brittle Stars

    I have noticed hermits just slowly disappear and aquatic store mentioned that most hermits live only a few months, emeralds maybe a year. So replinishment is quite commonly required.
    PapaMcEuin
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  2. #2
    Insightful Reefer Mostly Rock's Avatar
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    I have had emeralds multiplying in my tank for years. I can't say I've actually paid attention to any one more than the others, but I got three small emerald crabs, they got bigger, then there were several tiny ones, and now, years later I have about 8 large ones, 20 small ones and lots of random tiny ones. I have accidentally killed them and found tiny ones in my filter socks on occasion. Bubble algae doesn't concern me at all. I drop frags into coral rx for a few minutes and drop them in the tank without picking off the bubbles, because the bubbles are fun for the emeralds.
    My hermits usually kill each other for their shells, even though I have hundreds on the sand bed for them.
    Cleaner shrimp seem to last for years, I'm not sure about any real numbers. I've had a Banded Coral Shrimp slaughter them and other inverts wholesale though.
    Nassarius snails seem to just keep getting bigger till they're about 1.5 to 2 inches and just hang around for years.
    Turbo snails don't last long for me. I do have a larger than golf ball sized Mexican turbo that loves knocking over corals and fragging acros himself though. He started out as one of 5 small Nerite looking Mexican Turbos.
    I have purchased 3 large Brittles. One was black and white (bone really) one was green and one was a Fancy "brittle/Serpent" star. The fancy is still alive and HUMONGUS, the rest disappeared or left only pieces behind ( I think it was the Banded Coral Shrimp) I also have tiny "brittle" stars that have been multiplying for years and are now in virtually every crevasse in the DT.
    I also have breeding Nerites and Ceriths, but the hermits kill them for their shells so I have to re-up on them sometimes too.
    Last edited by Mostly Rock; 06-10-2011 at 08:43 PM. Reason: typo

  3. #3
    Grand Master Reefer CarmieJo's Avatar
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    I've had some blue leg hermits and cerith snails for years. Emerald crabs seem to die off in a year or so. I had some micro brittle stars but my sixline ate them all.
    Carmie


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