what is the best for cleanup crew

M

mitch303

New member
i am cycling my new 55 gallon fowlr tank right now. im trying to find out what the best cleanup crew would be. i do not want turbo snails i have heard that they like to eat the coarline algae off your live rock and also knock your live rock down. what other choices would be good. i have also heard you cant mix crabs with snails so wich one should i get? also plan on getting a banded coral shrimp.

also for stocking my tank would a flame angel and 2 ocellaris clowns work together also if there is room im looking for a couple other fish to add. im not really a fan of the goby, maybe some kind of wrasse though i do like the sixline or maybe a longnose hawkfish. any ideas would also be appreciated.
 
Margaritas, blue leg crabs and serth snails. Once your tank is cycled you will want a handful of each. I have all three with no problems.
 
i have turbo snails, astrea snails, about 5 diufferent types of hermit crabs, a sally lightfoot crab, an emerald crab, three cleaner shrimp, and 3 peppermint shrimp in my 75 reef. ive had no issues with any of them.
 
Margarita snails are a temperate species that typically don't live very long at tropical temps.

Blue leg hermits are one of the worst snail predators IME, and CBS get large and agressive once they get some size on them (they will literally grab at passing fish), but I kept one for a good 8 years or so.

If you want crabs, go with a half dozen scarlet reef hermits (red with yellow eye stalks). They're the most docile and least likely to prey on your snails.

For snails, I recommend:

6 Nassarius (carrion detritus feeders that also burrow into your substrate)
6 Astrea or Trocus (film and some very short hair algae)
6 Nerite (film algae)...try to get the brown ones as the black ones are more of an intertidal species.
12 Cerith (detritus, film algae, also burrow).

I'd also get a half dozen peppermint shrimp (Lysmata wurdemanni) they eat just about anything, but will also help keep the Aiptasia population down.

Start there, and see what your tank "tells you"...which species do the best, what is each species eating? What isn't being eaten? Adjust as needed.
 
alright so will this comb work and will this be enough for my 55 gallon
5-peppermint shrimp
12-cerith snails
6-Nassarius Snail
6-scarlet reef crab
 
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You have no super good film algae feeders...Ceriths do fine, but they generall only work right at the substrate edge.

I'd add a half dozen Trouchus, Nerites, or Astrea to the mix...you could even go two of each just to see which you like best.
 
Cleanup crews are overrated IMO. I would a a few snail if you'd like. However I find they always get in the way no matter what. When cleaning the glass, placing corals, re-aquascaping, etc, etc. I would stick with a few hermit crabs and if you have a sandbed I'd go with nassarius/sand sifting snails which stay on the bottom and move around the sand. Really cool to see them rise from the bottom when feeding. They look like zombies awaking from the dead! lol Sand sifting starfish do a great job stirring the sand. Lawnmower blennies are sweet for algae control!! :bounce3: I guess the peppermints would be alright for control over aptasia, etc. They are pretty small and could get eaten by fish bear in mind. Don't forget to put yourself in the mix! ;)
 
There is really no exact science to cleanup crews. Just don't go by what the lfs recommends!! haha hermit crab per gallon, ton of snails! :crazy1:
 
will i be fine to add these all at one time and also how long do you think i should wait to add anything in the tank it has been running for a week now and i was planning on waiting till the end of this month to add anything is this to short of time for the tank to cycle
 
The job of a clean up crew is to clean the excess uneaten food in the tank, algae and aquarium dertius. This keeps cyno in check along with ammonia and phosphate levels down. Currently your tank is in the cycle stage so a clean up crew should be added later. A Week is too early in my opinion.
 
yea i know a week is to short of a time that is just how long my tank has been cycling i was planning on waiting atleast a month or longer
 
mitch303 said:
haha thanks for all the help. Arent starfish hard to keep? that is what i have heard.
Click to expand...



I have a chocolate star fish that has been living in my sump for a month lol. He is doing awesome, I had to take him outta the DT because puffer wouldn't leave him a lone(trying to eat him). I guess it all depends on what type of starfish you are looking at.
 
mitch303 said:
yea i know a week is to short of a time that is just how long my tank has been cycling i was planning on waiting atleast a month or longer
Click to expand...

OK, sorry for assuming, but I always hear people setting up display tanks fully stocked with in a few days without any type of cycle.
 
alright im getting ready to add some cuc. this will be the first things going in my tank. i want to order.

1-peppermint shrimp
1-feather duster
3-nerite snails(pacific)
3-bumble bee snails
2-dwarf red tip hermit crabs

also looking for suggestions if the things i have listed cant go together. i do not want any turbo snails. i also did buy phytoplankton to spot feed the feather duster. Last thing is this to much to add for my first editions to my tank?
 
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