So I have a 46 Bowfront, about 35lbs LR, 2 in sand bed. My cycle is coming to an end and I am planning on adding a clean up crew first (if you all agree I should!). I have some green algae along the glass, some cyano and coralline on the LR along with some Hair algae. None of the algae though is getting out of hand. Maybe I should add two fish first? If not, what should my clean up crew be? I heard the hermits usually eat snail but would like to have both to keep sand bed sifted and glass clean. Any ideas welcome!:rollface::fun4:
First Cleanup Crew
- Thread starter Ryand63
- Start date
guppy74
New member
In my 29 Gallon I have 2 Mexican Turbo Snails (they are big and seem to keep the algae in check) 2 peppermint shrimp (to help with aiptasia they also do a good job with left over food) and I have 10 Red Legged Hermit crabs (they sift my sand looking for food) I have never had a problem with my Hermits after my snails. Hope that helped.
Charles
Charles
Guygettnby
Well-known member
hermits will eat your snails only when they need a new home or are under fed. i keep both in all my tanks. i would also recomend an emerald crab to help with the algea, these some times have a bad rep but i have never had a single problem with them. all crabs are opertunist feeders and should be treated as such. some are worse then others in this area for sure and should not be kept in a reef tank. like the sally light foot wich is fine when it is small, but when it gets bigger and full grown it will kill off fish and other inverts.
there are alot of choices out there for you to choose from, but i am sad to say that the turbo snails are not one i would choose in a smaller tank by any means. they get very big and are like bulldosers knocking over anything not glued down in there path. great algea eaters for sure but best left for the larger tanks. i would recomend some astrea snails wich stay reletivly small and do just as good of a job cleaning.
there are alot of choices out there for you to choose from, but i am sad to say that the turbo snails are not one i would choose in a smaller tank by any means. they get very big and are like bulldosers knocking over anything not glued down in there path. great algea eaters for sure but best left for the larger tanks. i would recomend some astrea snails wich stay reletivly small and do just as good of a job cleaning.
mmenz22779
New member
I have a 29 BC and currently have turbos, Nass and ceirth, red and blue hermits, Serpent star fish, a cleaner shrimp and a urchin.
I use to have emerald crabs and they were bullies in my tank so after they killed my feather dusters and punked around the hermits i took them out.
I highly recommend a CUC as I think the are one of the most important guys in the whole tank. A jawfish and blenny are also good as a CUC.
The jawfish will help turn your sand bed over along with the small snails.
The turbos and blenny will help with your algea
The serpant starfish helps turn your sand bed and eat the dying matter as well as your hermits.
All of my hermits never bother my snails. When the snails die then i noticed that the hermits express an intrest but never while they are alive.
the
I use to have emerald crabs and they were bullies in my tank so after they killed my feather dusters and punked around the hermits i took them out.
I highly recommend a CUC as I think the are one of the most important guys in the whole tank. A jawfish and blenny are also good as a CUC.
The jawfish will help turn your sand bed over along with the small snails.
The turbos and blenny will help with your algea
The serpant starfish helps turn your sand bed and eat the dying matter as well as your hermits.
All of my hermits never bother my snails. When the snails die then i noticed that the hermits express an intrest but never while they are alive.
the
