Clean-up Crew For 24g Nano Reef

[1entra]

Hi there,

I'm planning on adding a clean-up crew to my 24G tank in the near future and was hoping somebody could help me decide what to get. I want a mixture of livestock that will carry out regular maintainance of the tank by getting rid of nuisance algaes and detritus. Also do not want the critters to become a problem themselves in the future!

Here is a list of clean-up crew I have seen other get in their tanks (several different tanks):

* 5 x Nassarius Snails
* 3 to 5 x Astrea Snails
* 5 x Cerith Snails
* 3 x Margarita snails
* 1 or 2 Fighting Conch Snails
* 1 or 2 Turbo Snails
* Nerite Snails???
* Trocus Grazers???

* 1 or 2 Mithrax (Emerald) Crabs - small ones
* 5 or 6 Small Hermit Crabs - Which are best: Left Handed; Blue Legged; or Scarlet: or 1 or 2 of all 3 types???

* Skunk (Scarlet) Cleaner Shrimp - Should I get 1 or 2 as really like??
* 2 Blood (Fire) Shrimp - Defo want... Very attractive!
* Peppermint Shrimps??
* Sexy Shrimp - Stay quite small and look really attractive!

* Maybe a few featherdusters?

Can somebody please help me decide on which ones of the above are recommended and if there are any I should avoid?

Have I got too much clean-up crew listed? If so what should I cut out?

What should I add first... Is there any particular order they should go into the tank?

All comments are appreciated so please leave your thoughts!

 

[eschaton]

a CUC of that size is way too large for a tank that small. I'd add a little bit at a time and see what happens.

I'd totally avoid turbos (get way too big), margaritas (cold-water), and conchs (need at least a 50 gallon, if not a 100 gallon, since they get so big).

Every other snail has its use. I'd suggest a mixture of Cerith, Astraea, Nassarius, and Stomatela (usually gotten as a hitchhiker, but reproduces in captivity). I've never had much success with Trochus, but they breed in tanks, so they're also a good choice. Finally, if you can find a Money Cowrie, they're attractive and good algae eaters.

I wouldn't get any crabs, hermit or otherwise. Except maybe porcelain crabs, but then, they aren't clean up crew members.

Blood shrimp love to hide all day under rocks - a waste of money I think. The other two species are nice. If you pick up sexies, be very careful what type of fish you choose, as almost all over two inches will try and eat them.

 

[Musho3210]

peppermints are even more hiders, skarlet skunk are the most active. i got an overhang rock in my tank and thats where my blood shrimp hangs from and sways with the current, he leaves his spot rarely, A. For food, B. Curiousity (doesnt happen often) and C. Hides in a cave for molting.

Cleans my hand but not my fish.

 

[1entra]

Thanks for advice so far... so I'm guessing thats the turbo's, conches and margaritas out the window then! Least it's helping reduce my CUC as I had a feeling I had too many fo my tank!

So why not get crabs and hermits? Near enough every nano reef/marine journal I have read on this site and others contains hermit crabs???!! I don't think a nano reef would be complete without a couple of hermits!!!

Also mithrax crabs are recommended to combat any hair algae and again many people's nano journals have them as part of their CUC although larger ones are not recommended!!

I might only get 1 blood shrimp and 2 scarlet shrimps then I think! But bloodshrimps are absolutely stunning with their intense red colouring! Shame they always hiding as i am after them more for the looks than their actual cleaning methods! Might buy 1 peppermint and see how it gets on.

Sexy shrimp on the other hand, I might get 1 or 2 and just stick them in my refugium!

I do not plan on getting all my clean up crew at the same time straigh away, but this is more of what I want to end up with after several months of slowly buying and introducing new CUC members to the tank!

So anybody else have any further advice for me regarding CUC or are there any critters that I have missed and would be worthwile getting?

 

[eschaton]

As to hermits, there are mixed opinions, but I'm personally against. They will certainly kill some of your snails eventually - blue legs in particular like fresh Cerith shells. Nassarius and Nerites are in danger too, though Astraea, Trochus, and Cowries aren't a shape hermits particularly like. Hermits aren't herbivores - they're opportunists, and will eat all sorts of small things off your rock like featherdusters. And they can steal food from polyps. I like the little critters, but if you're planning any corals, I'd avoid them and just use snails as your CUC.

Mithrax are harmless when small, but they grow! It always seems silly to me to stock a tank with something that's only harmless as a juvenile.

Peppermint are useful because they'll eat any aipitasia which pops up in your tank. Some people also say they eat small polyps in general, but a lot of this is due to confusion with the camel shrimp. Any shrimp (even sexies) will try and push open polyps to get to food they're eating.

As for more general advice, you ought to wait a bit and see what comes out of your live rock. In my opinion, a CUC isn't finished without bristleworms, stomatella snails, asterina stars, and miniature brittle stars. If you don't get a breeding population established naturally, try and trade with a local reefer, or buy them cheap from inland aquatics.

 

[1entra]

Thanks for the advice eschaton. I'm starting to get put off getting hermits, might just get 1 or 2 and see how they get on in the tank. But defo going to wait till all my live rock is cycled and matured before adding anything else to the aquarium. Hopefully I'll get a few decent hitchhikers!

Arn't bristeworms classed as pests? I've heard both good and bad views on them. If I was to get some I would not want any that grow too big?!

The website link looks good but im based in the UK so won't be able to buy anything from there! Cheerz anyway!

 

[Donya]

Mithrax and conches are a bad idea - conches are one of the easiest types of snails for crabs to go after. Also nerites and hermits often don't work out well...you may end up with only hermits and a bunch of spare shells. If you have trochus and turbos and astreas, your astreas might get out-competed. They are not very competative grazers compared to the other two types. Even if you take out the turbos, the astreas would still be less competative than the trochus.

I also want to note that turbos are not "way too big" for a 24g tank if the setup is suitable and the food sufficient. I have 3 T. flucts and 2 T. undulatus adults in my 12 gallon that have spawned several times and are quite happy and thriving. The catch is that they require target feeding if they run out of food in the tank. The rocks had also better be glued down, because they are strong snails.

 

[1entra]

Cheers Donya and everybody else for their input.

I'm abit confused about what to get and what not to get!!

Heres my new CUC list though:

* 5 Nassarius Snails
* 4 Astrea Snails
* 5 cerith Snails
* 3 Stomatela Snails (if I can get hold of them)
* 3 Money Coweries (if I can get hold of them)
* 1 or 2 Trochus Grazers

* 1 Mithrax crab - only if I get bubble algae and need one
* 2 Hermit Crabs - Scarlet or algae eating ones (see how I get on with them)

* 2 Skunk/Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp
* 1 Bloodshrimp
* 2 Peppemint
* 2 Sexy Shrimp (Might put them in my Refugium)

Is this a better list or do I need to make further alterations?

Anybody reading please add comments on wether you agree/gisagree and also add any advice.

Thanks people

 

[n3ont3tra]

I'm not sure what's been said already, so here's my opinion.
* 5 x Nassarius Snails Good
* 3 to 5 x Astrea Snails Good
* 5 x Cerith Snails Good
* 3 x Margarita snails avoid, they need cooler water
* 1 or 2 Fighting Conch Snails One fighting conch should be fine, I have one and there is plenty of diatoms for it to eat. They don't get too big
* 1 or 2 Turbo Snails If you want, they are good CUC but they get big.
* Nerite Snails??? Good
* Trocus Grazers??? Good

* 1 or 2 Mithrax (Emerald) Crabs - small ones I would avoid it, unless you have a LOT of bubble algae
* 5 or 6 Small Hermit Crabs - Which are best: Left Handed; Blue Legged; or Scarlet: or 1 or 2 of all 3 types??? Scarlet

* Skunk (Scarlet) Cleaner Shrimp - Should I get 1 or 2 as really like?? If you want, get two. I would only get one type of shrimp, though
* 2 Blood (Fire) Shrimp - Defo want... Very attractive! I would only get one type of shrimp...
* Peppermint Shrimps?? Read above
* Sexy Shrimp - Stay quite small and look really attractive! read above

* Maybe a few featherdusters? Not really CUC, they need to be fed.

As for the numbers of each species, I would start off with one or two of each type of snail or crab you want, then if you still have algae, add the kind of snail that will eat that algae. That way you won't have any starve. Then add the shrimp and feather dusters if you want them, because they don't really do any cleaning.

 

[Donya]

I would only add cowries after you've had your tank set up a while. They're more sensitive IME than some of the other listed snails. I also would never put a cowrie in with a mythrax for the same sorts of issues as the conches: no operculum = easy snack unfortunately. Stomatellids aren't very big...if you get them as hitchikers, a 24g tank could easily support a breeding population of them, you just probably wouldn't see many at any one time. N3ont3tra is absolutely right with that last remark - add the algae eaters in cycles to see what sort of a ballance your tank needs so you don't wind up with more snails than there is available food.

 

[n3ont3tra]

Also, is this a reef tank? I've heard a few reports of cowries eating corals.

 

[1entra]

Also, is this a reef tank? I've heard a few reports of cowries eating corals.

Thank you for you imput. Yea this is a going to be a reef tank. It never crossed my mind to get 1 or 2 snails of each variety first to see how they got on before getting any further addition but it defo makes sense.

Just waiting for my tank to cycle before I get anything!

So shouln't I get more than 1 species of shrimp?? I really had my heart set on getting the ones mentioned?

 

[Donya]

Also, is this a reef tank? I've heard a few reports of cowries eating corals.

Money cowries won't eat corals; they're safe. The main iffy species I'm aware of are from a different family - the egg cowries and flamingo tongues for example. Tiger cowries get a bad rep, but the diet I've observed in mine doesn't include any softies (although all sponges are on the menu). I could only see one of those cowries going after softies if it was starved of all other food sources.

So shouln't I get more than 1 species of shrimp??

Shrimp have a higher space need than the rest of the inverts you've listed, so packing a bunch of different species in together is probably not the best way to go.

 

[n3ont3tra]

Just thought I'd check about the cowries.

 

[littleme1969]

Well personally I would say get lots of hermits, they are great at cleaning up everything from left over food to hair alge and redslime alage. get a mix of types. I have 12 blue legs 2 scarlets one black leg and 4 halloween/red claw hermits. the only trouble causers are the blue legs and they only bother each and nothing else, but the cleaning they do out ways any other issues. Avoid large snails like turbos as they tend to buldozer rock work and unstuck corals. Counch again can get quite large and 25g (same as mine) once you get you rock in there wont be much sand room. the small sand dweeling snails are good to have to help turn things over and the Astrea Snails are great at cleaning the glass and stop the build up algae i have 8 of various sizes.
Mithrax crabs Ive not heard of them causing issues and having just put 2 in my own tank and seen them cleaning the rock in places the snails/hermits dont reach I think they are a good thing, plus its nice to have a mixture of things to get a good eco system.
Sexy shrimp.. way cute I love these guys so much fun to watch you want at least 2 - 4 of these as they like their own company, but as for the bigger variety such skunk etc they are know to scrap if you put too many in a small tank. I would say in a 25g dont get anymore than 2 and better to be different species. Bloodfire and maybe a skunk.

Everyone on here has there own likes and dislikes as regard CUC myself i tend to go for what CLEANS..lol rather that wether I dont like spider like legs or not! Try and stick to small stuff , get a good mix that will clean pretty much all your algae/waste food issues but most of all get what your happy with