how much is too much (cuc)

[latazyo]

I have two tanks 40BR and 20L

I am going to consider ordering a clean up crew package from reeftopia.com


they all are pretty big, so I'd need to split the order with someone, but I am wondering what a rule of thumb is for a clean up crew, as far as how many astreas for a 40BR and a 20L?


so I have that question and also am wondering if anyone is interested in splitting a package from reeftopia.com it is free shipping and box charges

 

[TWINPEAKS]

I'd be interested in splitting a package how much $ are we talking.

 

[latazyo]

http://www.reeftopia.com/Reeftopiaspecials.html

here are the packages

I need whatever is appropriate for the 40BR and the 20L

I am also looking at etropicals...they give free shipping on their packages as well

 

[capncapo]

I believe that Ron Shimek used to recommend 1 for every 20 gallons as a starting point. His line of thinking is that you can always add more but to put a bunch in your tank to watch them die is wrong.

I have to agree with him.

 

[latazyo]

1 what?

1 item?

1 mexican turbo?

1 blue legged?

or just 1 "thing"?

 

[geoxman]

cucumber, not CUC. Hit the shift

 

[latazyo]

sorry greg

when I typed CUC I meant clean up crew

I didnt think of a cucumber

thanks geo for bringing that to light

 

[capncapo]

Astreas...or snails in general Leighton.

That also depends on the type of snail...if you're wanting Nassarius snails just remember, they are carrion eaters and not algae grazers so you could have atreas and nassarius snail and they won't conpete for food UNLESS the nassarius snails happen to be starving to death. They WILL eat algae for as long as they can survive if forced to but it is not their preferred or necessary food.

 

[TWINPEAKS]

I'm looking to add a fair amount to my 180 so the total reef #2 looks good.

 

[fazgood]

Do you still have the hair problem? I just got a sea hare. Nasty beast, it has yet to eat anything let alone hair algae. If it starts eating hair I'll let you know. People swear they will mow the stuff down, but I probably got the one and only meat eater.

Faz

 

[latazyo]

haha

yeah I still have a mess, but once the fish is out, I'll need these things anyways

an algae eater would be really nice though

 

[Charlie's Angel]

I want to tag along here as well. How does the cleaner crew add to the bioload of a tank? I have a very small crew and think I need one or two of these larger packages, but have always read conflicting reports on the need for a large crew. Any thoughts? Also, I am looking at a purchase, so I can tag along.

 

[JxMetal]

I have probably 5 astreas, 0 crabs, 1 cucumber and about a million stomotella snails. stomotellas are far and beyond my best cleaners.

 

[JxMetal]

Get that baby foxface Leighton

 

[latazyo]

haha...another large fish that i'll need to give away in a few months........not

 

[capncapo]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11637165#post11637165 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by JxMetal
I have probably 5 astreas, 0 crabs, 1 cucumber and about a million stomotella snails. stomotellas are far and beyond my best cleaners.

I have to agree! Great little snails!

 

[Charlie's Angel]

What type of clean up crew would you guys recommend for my 375...currently have about 10 hermits, 15 astrea snails and a few sally light foots. My skimmer and fuge do a great job at keeping nitrates low, but I have a heavy load and like to keep everyone well fed to reduce aggression. Want to make sure all fodd lost to the bottom and detritus is cleaned up. Also, can I add anything to my fuge...currently have some bristleworms in there.

Thanks

 

[capncapo]

Critters would do you more good if they were in your display tank.

Bristleworms do a good job of eating a lot of food that may get missed and if you feed "meaty" foods then some nassarius snails would help too.

Mini-brittle stars, peanut worms and spaghetti worms are also quite beneficial.

For what it's worth, hermits have been referred to as "reef eco-terrorists" by Eric Borneman and if you ask Ron Shimek how many hermits to use his words would be something similar to the following...."Use hermits in the same concentration as you would find them on a reef.....NONE". I think hermits are cool but will have none in a reef tank.

 

[Charlie's Angel]

Interesting...why is that about the hermits? I need to read up on that and possibly pull mine out...like I said, only have about 10.

 

[capncapo]

If I recall correctly it is because crabs, ALL crabs except for porcelain crabs, are omnivores and, as such, will eat anything that they can.

While hermits may be somewhat harmless when well fed ( not every experts agrees with this either ), hobbyists tend to use them as "cleanup crews" and don't consider them as a part of their bioload when doling out the proper amount of food for their tank. Conversely, if they do include food for the hermits in their feeding regiment, they more or less have lost their value as part of the "cleanup crew".