kim gross writes:
The hermits will eat larval forms of most creatures before they get a
chance to get into the sand bed. If you would like to research this a
little your self here are a couple of good links.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/forumd... 3&forumid=40
http://www.rshimek.com/reef/sediment.htm
http://www.reefs.org/library/talklog...ie_061498.html
http://www.reefs.org/library/article...in_shimek.html

I couldn't find any mention of hermit crabs (especially any negative
recommendation with respect to deep sand beds, as you're suggesting) in
any of those links.

There are a lot more, but what makes a deep sand bed work well is the
amount of life in the sand bed, not just that it has a bed that is 3 or 4
inchs deep. With lots of life in the sand you can feed tha tank heavier
plus many of the creatures in the sand will spawn creating zooplankton in
your tank for your corals to eat.

I agree with all of that. But do you have any documentation that hermit
crabs (e.g. blue-leg) are something to be avoided in a DSB reef tank?

This is counter to an overwhelming amount of recommendation that a reef tank
should have a high population of them as a cleaning crew. Of course, that
isn't evidence either way, and if you've actually done an experiment that would
be quite interesting.

I might not be the best speller but at least I know what I am talking about.

The links you suggested don't support your claim. Have you actually done
controlled experiments yourself? Run two (sets of) tanks, identical
parameters, except for the presence of hermit crabs? And then measured the
sand bed populations of various creatures? Do you find more pods, worms,
feather dusters...all of the above?

Why is it that none of the other professional deep sand bed advocates
mention this issue, especially since adding hermit crabs is such a
universal recommendation?

-- Don
__________________________________________________ _____________________________
Don Geddis http://reef.geddis.org/
One thing vampire children have to be taught early on is, don't run with a
wooden stake. -- Deep Thoughts, by Jack Handey