"clean up crew recommendations" sticky?

[Deleted member 336650]

I have been following the stocking recommendation sticky (thanks snorvich) & refining a list of my own.

Can someone direct me to a comparable thread for clean up crews? I know there is a good one somewhere on the forum, but I have yet to find it.

Thanks

 

[Duke4life]

Don't know if there is 1, I think it depends on size of tank and what you plan on having, but that's just a guess.

 

[Duke4life]

Just checked what LiveAquaria suggested and I don't know if I would go off that. Going by the 125 you would be putting 155 combined snails and hermits, and that's 1 of the standard packages. I have a mixture of maybe 20-25 in my 125, they do a great job of keeping it clean, couldn't imagine another 100+.

 

[Nrupaw]

Reefcleaners.org is where i usually get my CUC from and they have a decent packages page

http://www.reefcleaners.org/cleaner-packages-with-free-shipping

 

[Deleted member 336650]

cuc

cuc

Thanks guys. I am looking at "The Package" from Tampa Bay Saltwater and they would send for a 120G

120 hermits, 60 snails, 6 cukes, 3 stars, 3 shrimp

That just seems like a lot for a new tank with nothing yet to really "clean up"

 

[Chuckd76]

+1 for ReefCleaners
Just be sure to order less/a smaller package than you need because you will get a LOT of (free) extras.

 

[Genera]

+1 for ReefCleaners
Just be sure to order less/a smaller package than you need because you will get a LOT of (free) extras.

Yup. I ordered about 50 snails and got over 150. :rollface: The snails are tiny, so too many didn't do me or the snails any harm. By the way don't keep hermits with snails. I'd get a snail based CUC, with some shrimp, and cucumbers depending on the sandbed size. Don't get sand-sifting stars. They eat all the beneficial microfauna in a deep sand bed, then starve, and the deep sand bed forms hydrogen sulfide. In a shallow sandbed same thing but without the hydrogen sulfide. And no sand sifter gobies either IMO, 1. they get sand everywhere, 2. they jump, 3. they consume all of the beneficial microfauna in the sand bed, 4. if it is a deep sand bed hydrogen sulfide will form, 5. sometimes they starve after eating all of the microfauna.

 

[Shawn O]

Thanks guys. I am looking at "The Package" from Tampa Bay Saltwater and they would send for a 120G

120 hermits, 60 snails, 6 cukes, 3 stars, 3 shrimp

That just seems like a lot for a new tank with nothing yet to really "clean up"

120 hermits?!?! Wow. A couple dozen would probably be more than enough, if not too many. I can only imagine there could only be about 1 or 2 per square yard in the ocean, let alone those numbers. Maybe a mix of 20 or so snails, some micro-brittle stars (if you don't have them already) and possibly a serpent star. Any cucumber that will poison the tank when it dies is a risk.

Add them slowly, over time, if you don't have a lot of algae to eat.

 

[liverock]

120 hermits?!?! Wow. A couple dozen would probably be more than enough, if not too many. I can only imagine there could only be about 1 or 2 per square yard in the ocean, let alone those numbers. Maybe a mix of 20 or so snails, some micro-brittle stars (if you don't have them already) and possibly a serpent star. Any cucumber that will poison the tank when it dies is a risk.

Add them slowly, over time, if you don't have a lot of algae to eat.

The hermits I use are micro....like 1/4 inch long so they can get into all the cracks and crevices to clean...and I provide shells so as they grow they have new homes...

in the wild you find them clustered up on ledges....10,000 will fit in a one foot area...as that is how I collect them at low tide..one swoop of the net and you are done.....500 will fit in the palm of you hand...

and the cukes I use are non toxic, from the Gulf of Mexico...the cukes you don't want are of indo pacific origin and they are toxic...beware of them!

You can see folks who have received them here.... http://tbsaltwater.com/testimonials/index.html

Richard TBS
www.tbsaltwater.com :lolspin::lolspin::lolspin:

 

[Shawn O]

What species of hermits are you talking about? You aren't talking about blue-legs, Scarlets or red-legs since those get larger than 1/4". My blue leg is about 1/2" or more, my scarlets are up to 1" and my red legs are up to 3/4" so far. I don't know of any hermits that stay below 1/2".

 

[liverock]

What species of hermits are you talking about? You aren't talking about blue-legs, Scarlets or red-legs since those get larger than 1/4". My blue leg is about 1/2" or more, my scarlets are up to 1" and my red legs are up to 3/4" so far. I don't know of any hermits that stay below 1/2".

They are blue legs...when I collect them they are as small as you can find in the wild....they are the ones I send to all my peeps in the package as part of the clean up crew...look close in the pics you can see some of them in action...
http://tbsaltwater.com/testimonials/index.html

there are 105 in the tank in the first pic....but you can't see many, and that is the point as they mow any algae before it gets started...as they can get everywhere where a bigger hermit can't....is why I use them for folks for the last 35 years....




Richard TBS
www.tbsaltwater.com :rollface::rollface::rollface:

 

[scooter31707]

I have the same tank, I only have 10 crabs and 18 snails. Still might be overkill.

 

[Rwiesner20]

Wow didn't realize they over ship that many.

 

[JammyBirch]

Just make sure you QT, the CUC, you'll get some stuff you may not want too, better to see it before it's in the DT.

 

[neededahobby]

Reefcleaners.org is where i usually get my CUC from and they have a decent packages page

I am still getting confused on how many CUC are actually needed?

This company may sell smaller packages but for a 125G they still recommend a similar HUGE number of snails (>200). Is that because when you ship CUC the survival rate isn't good? Or do you really need that many?

My LFS recommended much less ~ 30 snails, 1 urchin and 6 crabs for a CUC starter kit. Presumably the snails will reproduce to achieve a sustainable population but do people really add 100's of snails to get started?

 

[Deleted member 336650]

Just make sure you QT, the CUC, you'll get some stuff you may not want too, better to see it before it's in the DT.

So QT the live rock as well?

 

[Shawn O]

They are blue legs...when I collect them they are as small as you can find in the wild....they are the ones I send to all my peeps in the package as part of the clean up crew...look close in the pics you can see some of them in action...

there are 105 in the tank in the first pic....but you can't see many, and that is the point as they mow any algae before it gets started...as they can get everywhere where a bigger hermit can't....is why I use them for folks for the last 35 years....

So, 120 Blue legs in a 48x24 tank? Seeing that they get to be bigger than a marble, I think I'll buy 120 marbles and see how close they are in a 48x24 space. Seems like putting a dozen people in a small bathroom. I applaud you for giving your customers a good deal, even giving them more than what they paid for but we are talking about animals in a confined space here.

I am still getting confused on how many CUC are actually needed?

This company may sell smaller packages but for a 125G they still recommend a similar HUGE number of snails (>200). Is that because when you ship CUC the survival rate isn't good? Or do you really need that many?

My LFS recommended much less ~ 30 snails, 1 urchin and 6 crabs for a CUC starter kit. Presumably the snails will reproduce to achieve a sustainable population but do people really add 100's of snails to get started?

A lot of people say to buy a CUC package for a tank that's half the size of whatever size tank you have. I myself like to go by the "only as much as you think looks ok" rule. If it looks like you have too many, you probably do. If your CUC are constantly bumping into each other there probably isn't enough room.

 

[scooter31707]

I was always told 1-2 per 10 gallons.

 

[Shawn O]

That seems like a good general guideline, possibly inadequate, depending on species. I guess you could safely say 1 small snail per 2 gallons, large snails equaling 2-3 small snails, in a system with enough algae and detritus to sustain them. Yours rolls off the tongue much easier, though.

I never see all of my snails, which is something like 4 remaining Mexican Dwarf Cerith, 7-9 Caribbean Dwarf Cerith, 5-7 Nassarius, 4 Bumble Bee, 1 green Turbo and 1 Mexican Turbo. The Nassarius are hard to accurately count since some of them could possibly be juvenile Mexican Dwarf Cerith. They laid eggs their 1st week in the tank and the two look pretty similar when small.

 

[CStrickland]

I use 2-3 snails per gallon, accounting for the size of the snail. Reefcleaners has a good survival rate, I've only seen 2 or 3 dead out of about a 100. Do follow their acclimation procedure, you can't drip shipped shipped cuc. The ones I've gotten extra of are little guys like dwarf ceriths where it's prolly easier to just scoop out a handful than count them.