beginner

Question
Hi! I just bought my saltwater aquarium 2 days ago. It's a 20-gallon aquarium, can you give me an advice on how many hermit crabs or snails do I need to keep my water quality in good condition? and what other things do I need to do to keep a stable and good environment for my fishes and corals. I'm really hoping to have a good start. Please help me. thank you so much

Answer
Hello Raphiel,

Congrats on joining a really cool and beautiful hobby...  and also kudos for taking hte time out to try to research and learn how to do things... Keep in mind that there are a ton of things that need to be done at the beginning, that you can probably forget about later on, but for now, it is important to try to line things up for that 'stable' system..

the beginning of the process is called cycling.. it is a time/period when the biological organisms grow/multiply.. these organisms are the heart of the filtration process... the filter is not some foam pad or plastic balls or ceramic beads... it is the organisms...

These organisms are hidden in the rock and sand.. that is why they are referred to as live rock and live sand...

I wont go into the details or process of cycling now, unless you would like me to... but what needs to be understood is that all things in the system recquire food.  The amount of snails/crabs will depend on what is going on in your system, how old your system is, and what and how often you do maintenance, (water changes, scrape the glass, etc)

If you have little food source then your snails and crabs will starve out... if you have too much, the snails will not be able to 'keep up' with the growth and your tank will quickly look like an algae forest...

So, basically, there is not formula for answering your question...

I would suggest not getting a lot of critters now, as they may not have enough to eat.  But, depending on your circumstance and where you are getting the critters from, may play a factor in your decision...

If possible, I would buy 2-3 at a time, and see how they are doing, then in a month or so, add to that if you want...

I would also suggest not getting a lot of the hermit crabs... as they run out of food, they will make their own food... that is.. they will kill other snails for food... or they will kill other snails for thier shells...

I have not bought a crab in a while as I dont want to risk anything, and just want the minimum to keep things in balance...

I also like astrea snails... I would suggest getting a the couple of snails now, and maybe in about 6 months to get a larger specimen... and just get ONE of the larger ones and keep the rest at small snails.. that way the crabs wont want the small shells...

anyways, i hope this helps, if not, please let me know and we can carry on from there.

if you want, you can log onto my new forum at www.thelittleocean.com and post your questions there.  We have many other reefers there that will also help with some information also...

good luick and I look forwared to chatting with you again


bill