Adding a (partial) cleaner crew...

[3fsh]

I'm just about ready to start up my new tank... everything is set up (except for the lighting). I am planning on cycling it with 1/2 cured LR and 1/2 uncured LR and then (when it is finished cycling) I will add the picasso to make sure all parameters are okay, and then the clown will go in. My question is... would it be terrible of me to add the hermit crabs with the triggers in the tank? I know that some of them would get eaten , but I have one hermit crab in the 25 gallon that has been in there for almost a year and it only comes out at night when the triggers are sleeping. They would have plenty of hiding places... I'm just not sure if they would be smart enough to hide during the day. What do you guys think?

 

[Navarre]

They may survive for a while but they will be mere fish food eventually. Hermit crabs have no real idea they are in a home aquarium, thus they will not know a trigger is in the local area at all times. SO they will simply go about their business until they get eaten im afraid. Clowns and picassos may see them as part of their surroundings if the cleanup crew are already added before they are put in but its highly risky and adding more at a later stage is going to be ugly

 

[3fsh]

I think I'll add 10 (or so) hermit crabs a few days before the picasso goes in. If they do get eaten, I'll just consider them a healthy addition to my triggers' diet and I'll wait 'till the triggers have moved out before adding any more!

 

[hyrookin]

just don't tell the hermit crabs that!

 

[Opcn]

If I were in your position I think I would add two or three different kinds of hermits and lots of extra shells, the shells would leave the triggers thinking that shels were just part of the tank and the different varrieties of hermit may behave differently enought that some would trigger an eating frenzy and others would blend in

 

[RamJet]

Once the trigger finds out that it can eat them it will pick over them all. I would suggest doing what most other trigger owners do and return it to the LFS. Then again I am not all that big on fish anyway. Being a reef keeper, any fish I add needs to have a job to do or its not going home with me. I view triggers as a pain in the ars. Cool, but not what I am after.

 

[Opcn]

Don't be such a pessimist, Granted if the trigger finds food it will eat all of them but thats a reason not to try a clean up crew not a reason to get rid of the fish, personally I think the benefits of success far outwieght the risk of failure

 

[RamJet]

Well, I look at it this way. Snails are $2.00 each, for a 100 gallon tank you want 50 to 100 snails. That adds up quickly. I would get a siphon for ten bucks and clean that way. How does that slogan go "Save the Snails" or Walrus or something like that.

 

[Opcn]

I thought we were talking about way understocking on clean up crew.

Also are there any clean up crew members that would reproduce in a tank such as this, if he Just got a few and let themreproduce it would take a while but he could try a full crew for little money and lots of time

 

[RamJet]

Cerith snails reproduce fairly quickly, but I think the trigger would make quick work of them. They can be bought online cheep enough, and they do a great job of keeping the glass clean. If you wanted to try it, I would say that they are the best bet.

 

[Navarre]

admitedly, clowns and picassos are not reef freidnly and i wuld be nervous with a cleanup crew in there with them. My blue throat never once harmed any of my reef additions though.. its just knowing what type of trigger to choose.

 

[leon]

admitedly, clowns and picassos are not reef freidnly and i wuld be nervous with a cleanup crew in there with them. My blue throat never once harmed any of my reef additions though.. its just knowing what type of trigger to choose.

Ditto, my blue throats dont bother with anything, the male (which is the most aggresive) sleeps in a cave with 4 shrimps in and out all the time, the only thing they do go for is food i put in.