Clean up Crew???????

[snow_man84088]

Since no one posts on my build thread anymore I thought I would start a new thread for my question. My tank currently looks like this....



My question is, At what point should I add a small clean up crew? I have diatoms everwhere. Can I add a small clean up crew? Will it be safe to add a clean up crew?

[bosscrab]

How long has it been running? What are your ammonia,nitrates, etc. measuring? The diatoms are usually the end of the cycle.

[snow_man84088]

It has been running about four weeks. Rock has been in three. I don't have a test kit for nitrate, but both ammonia and nitrite test zero. All other water parameters are normal.

[bosscrab]

I say if its still at zero on sunday. I'd get a nitrate test too. You can get some clean up critters.

[snow_man84088]

What would you recommend I add and how many? It is a 90 gallon with a 3 inch sand bed.

[bosscrab]

I like snails The hermits are a bit mean to the snails and sometimes corals.
As for how many that I'm not certain of. Maybe start w/20 cerith and 10 astreas. These are the best in my opinion.

[rhinokio]

i'm not sure how large that tank is, i have a 14 gal, and my clean up crew is about 8 hermits, 2 nassarios snails, 2 turbo snails, 4 trochias snails. one fire blood srhimp. i never have a problem with waste on the bottom, its quiet amazing after coming from fresh water tanks where the clean up crews are a joke..

[snow_man84088]

Originally Posted by snow_man84088

What would you recommend I add and how many? It is a 90 gallon with a 3 inch sand bed.

Would it be too much to add at once if I were to add 10 cerith, 10 asteas, and two ocellaris clownfish?

[reginanmc]

If it were me, i woudl test my nitrate, if all is 0.00 I would wait another week or two, then add the snail's maybe a few hermits, if all is still good. then watch the levels for another few weeks before adding any fish. Then maybe wait a few more weeks and add more snails.

By adding slow and waiting a while between each addition, you are giving your tank time to adjust and creating success.

What does everyone else think???

[rhinokio]

i've heard about one or two cleaner per 1 gallon of space, but use common sense i would not suggest 180 sea cukes

also no need to throw them all in instantly a little bit over a few weeks should be good.

some people don't like hermits, i do i think they are fun to watch, and have yet to cause any problems in my tank.

i like to get a couple of cleaners that also work as pretty show animals, i love my blood shrimp he's become best buds with my watchman goby, they are inseperable.

get some alge eaters some waste eaters some sand sifters. go to liveaquaria.com and look they have cleaner packs focused on alge and deitrus. their ultimate deitrus pack for your size tank includes
2 fancy serpent stars
2 sand sifting stars
3 tiger tail cukes
2burgundy stars
2 red fancy serpent stars or 6 tongan fighting conch
1 fancy brittle star

the alge deluxe pack for your tank contains
20 scarlet hermit crabs
40 snails (turbo,margarita,zebra turbo)
65 red tip hermits
4 albalone or 24 trochus snails or 24 turban snails

[YLChik]

I say start WAYYYYYYYYY smaller than you think you need

I have a 55 with like 5-7 astrena
5ish margaritas
10 cerith
10-15 hermits - redlegged- mexican call them what ya like
I like the hermits, but they do eat the snails

get a mix of algea eating and detrius eating
a few nassirus for the sand bed

start out with 5-10 of maybe 3 types of sails higher if you skip the crabs
but I wouldn't buy fish/shrimp yet - wait another few weeks.

remember the snails will all still need to eat after this part of your cycle is over.


1 serpant star ( added 1 yr after the tank was up adn running)

[snow_man84088]

Okay So I am going to go to my LFS in a few and get 10 astrea's, 10 cerith's, and couple nassirus. Just depending on what they have, I might also pick up a couple hermits, but I haven't decided if I want crabs, I might go crabless.

What about picking up a few 5 dollar frags, or should I wait longer to buy any coral?

[DarthOcellaris]

I just skimmed this thread so I may have missed this....do you even have anything to clean? If you don't have algea or leftover food then I'd wait on the CUC

If it's merely the diatoms you are worried about...they'll disappear on their own

[snow_man84088]

Thanks for the reply Darth!

No I don't have anything in the tank yet...after sitting here for the last half hour I decided I am going to hold off for at least another week, I would rather play the side of caution and make sure the tank is cycled before trying to add anything. I figure if I wait til at least next Friday that will have been ten days of test parameter's measureing zero and I should be able to add a pair of clowns.

[rhinokio]

i got my clean up crew first, and got some dried seaweed and some pelets for them to munch on till i put fish in the tank, i like the hermits cause they have more personality than the snails.

i like to get mine in first because i don't wanna put fish in then have them making messes before i get the cleaners in.