Clean Up Crew...

[fishlette]

on saturday i am getting my LR etc and filling my tank. it will be cycling for a few months but i was wondering if i can put a clean up crew in straight away? or should i wait a little while? or should i wait until i have fish? lol gotta make sure i do this properly

and also what commonly available critters should i get? common in australia that is

 

[AK77]

Hi Fishlette,

I'd wait till your ammonia = 0, nitrite = 0 and your nitrates are in decline.

If your live rock is cured already, then you shouldn't get as much die off on it - provided that it isnt out of water for a prolonged period of time. That's when things will start dying off and will give you an ammonia/nitrite spike. Uncured rock for the same reason.

In the interim period, keep an eye out for any hitchhikers that arrived on your rock. Bristleworm, crabs, mantis shrimp etc.

Once your water chemistry is stable, then start adding your critters to clean up the rocks.

Turbo snails (Astrea)
Cerith snails
Skunk cleaner shrimp
Peppermint shrimp
Fire/blood shrimp
red leg hermit crabs
blue leg hermit crabs

after that, maybe a sand sifting star

If your nitrates are still a bit high, try adding some macro algaes or mangrove roots. These will absorb excess nitrate and some phosphates too.

Heres a link to explain about live rock

Curing live rock

HTH.

AK

 

[Eversurf]

Yeah I would wait a couple of week until your tank as cycled.

Add the snails as algea grows. I lost a whole bunch of snails due to starvation.

Do not add blue leg hermit crabs. They will kill the snails. Sky told not to do it and I did it anyway....now I regret it.

-Surf

 

[SkiFletch]

I'd ask Mr Miagi what cleanup crew members are available in australia, he'd know best

 

[mark7616]

Also dont add your shrimp straight away.