what clean up crew?

[pomme]

i have got a 100gal tank, and am thinking about the clean up crew that i want to get, so that i have them in their before the algae starts.

in my local lfs in england they have red-leg hermit crabs, turbo (astrea, i think) snails, super (trochus) snails, green mithrax crabs, nassarius snails, and cerith snails.

i was thinking against the nassarius and cerith snails as they like the dsb and i am only going to have a sprinckling of marine gravel, like sand, on the tank floor. Is this right?

so what would you guys suggest to have in there? and when would you put them in just after the mature live rock? and would you put them in all at the same time or in stages?

i was sort of thinking of 24 red legs, 12 super snails and 6 turbo snails.
what do you guys think of this?

andrew

 

[ste2k3]

If I were you, i would try and get hold of some hawian hermits, they are smaller but grow to the same eventual size but are cheaper i.e. at the lfs, hawians are 6 for £10 and redlegs are £3.50 each. which ever you chose, I would go for:

40 hermits
12 trochus snails
1 red brittle star
2 blood/fire shrimps
2-4 cleaner shrimps

I would add them in that order.

you will need to get the live rock in and let everything settle down, then wait for 4-6 weeks. then start tio add the cleaners. make sure you keep all the lights off when maturing the tank or you will have a huge algae bloom. nassarius snails are good for getting rid of syno algae, if you were to have a problem with it in the future.

 

[ostrow]

My advice is decide: either hermit crabs or snails. Mix, and crabs will eat snails.

One snail you can keep with them is nassarius, and I would have some. Nothing keeps the glass and substrate clean like nassarius. But you will need at least a fine bed. You can try ceriths, but if you have hermits you will lose some. But if you are getting 100 that shouldn't be a problem.

I would make sure to have at least a few turbos in there.

Definitely the emerald crab ... that is a must. As is the cleaner shrimp (tho 4 will be pricey...) And ste2k3 is absolutely right ... shrimp go in last before fish.

Don't underbuy, you'll only regret it! Get lots and lots.

 

[pomme]

yeah i have now thought some more about it and that thought was that variety is best as they eat different algae.
So i was thinking of:
18 turbos (astrea)
6 super (trochus)
6 cerith
6 narrarius

and then 18 red legs
and 1 mithrax crab,

how does that sound?

 

[ostrow]

pomme you have two threads going.

Well you know my take on the mix already. You are likely going to lose the astreas to the crabs IME. Go for more trochus.

You need double what you are planning, at least. Esp. on the nassarius and cerith.

Again, check online. There must be cheap suppliers around your parts...

 

[pomme]

yeah i think i will leave the crabs and just get snails