Clean Up Crew Recommendations?

Hello!

So I have a tank that i think is in desperate need of a clean up crew. I moved about 4 months ago and then had a unexpected power outage for a day, so through those 2 events i lost 1 of my 2 hermits, both my narrssisus snails, my emerald crab, and my peppermint shirmp. Since then I have been kinda mopey about spending money on the tank and what not. But now that I am constantly growing algae I think i need to suck it up and get a new gang of cleaners.

Currently i have 3 astreas and one hermit as well as a lawnmower bleeny that do any cleaning. I was thinking about ordering one of the packs you see on websites everywhere. So 3 questions.

1. Is there anything in those "packs" i should avoid, I know a lot of people say crabs are not the best.

2. Any sites that people have ordered crews from and enjoyed the product.

3. How many should I get? I hear 2-3 per gallon? I have a 45.

Thanks!

Glen.

 

My personal opinion is that those "clean up crew packages" for sale generally provide way more then you need.

Add a few hermits and snails and see how they do. Get more if needed.


:-/

 

Agreed! I started out small and then if that doesn't cut it added more as needed. In my 75 gallon I was having a hair algae outbreak so I added 10 black turbos and about 10 hermits- on top of the whole other cleaner crew that consists of nassarius- probably about 30 of them- 10 turbos 7 hermits a sally and an emerald.

 

i have only have 6 turbos and 6 hemmies, i would like a couple more snails to get my algea down, i dont think that for 45 i would start like 10 and 10

 

I would employ a Sea Cucumber and a Conch to aid in the cleaning of your substrate! As Omard stated, you want to find the perfect balance of clean up crews per tank as no tank is the same so that is a guideline that the retail outlets give you. Some inverts are better for some people than others based on their tank population, plus often times they try to sell you more than you need to successfully maintain a tank.
Alot will have to do with you and how much you feed, type of lighting, species of fish and bioload.
You want to ultimately avoid starvation by your inverts but at the same time, create and maintain the best case scenario for the health and success of your livestock!

 

i dont have any expericance with conches, are they sand sifters? but they are a good thing to have? i am looking for something to move my sand around a little.

 

I have an aquacultured fighting conch, and love him. They really move the sand around and are just fun to watch.

mine covered himself with some kind of sticky slime then threw on some sand and algae to camouflage itself. He looks like submarine in the sand with his eyes all sticking out.

They will definitely move your sand around and do a great job cleaning detritus.

 

Met to add, Astreas and Zebra Turbos are awesome algae eaters, especially hair algae.

Narcissus snails really keep the sand bed stirred up and eat up the detritus. Plus it's just cool to watch them come up out of the sand when you feed the tank. My kids call it the "Night of the living snails". Probably end up getting some more of these guys. I have 10 now.

I have a couple blue legged and red legged hermits as well, which eat just about anything.

I also have a few emerald crabs, they are cute, but don't do near the job the snails do.

Overall I have 25 turbo snails, 10 narcissus snails, 3 emerald green crabs, 1 fighting conch, a lawnmower blenny, and 10 Astrea snails.

Bought my zebra turbos from MarineDepot live for a great price.

 

Cool looks like I will just buy what I need. Did anyone have recommendations on websites? I wish I could support my LFS but they dont really seem to make inverts a part of their business. And besides I dont know if its just me, but employees at most LFS always make me feel like I am ignorant.

Oh and sea cucumbers. I always thought they were dangerous to have because they can easily pollute all your water? not true?

 

I am setting up my 65 gal with cured live rock and live sand for about the first six months. I plan to then add other reef life forms. I plan on using the following as a cleaning crew:

1- fighting conch - aquacultured

5- nassarius snails

2- cleaner shrimp

2- turbo snails

1-Sharknose Goby

My question is when should I add them to the system?

Thanks for the resonses.