invert stocking list

[drdude05]

I will be starting the initial stocking of my 180 in the next few weeks and am planning to start with the workhorses of the reef ... i.e. the cleanup crew and the janitorial staff. I have been thinking of the following list ... if anyone has any suggetions for additions, deletions, substitutions ... please speak up.

Nassarius Snails (not sure how many to get for a 180 with a 1.5 - 2" sand bed)
Cerith Snails
Scarlet Hermits
Turbo Snails
Sand Sifting Sea Star (3)
Sea Cucumber
Lettuce Sea Slug
LawnMower Blenny
Emerald Mithrax Crab (3-4)
Fancy Serpent Sea Star
Tongan Fighting Conchs

Any ideas on the appropriate numbers of the above for a 180?

[ChrisPrusha]

I like to go on the very low side for snails and hermits, but I believe I am in the minority here on that score. Others will speak to this issue, I am sure.

Sand sifting sea star will do a nice job of eating your sand bed. If it was me, I would skip 'em. But that's just my opinion.

Cucumber...I recommend a tiger tail cuke. I just got back from looking at my fish tank, and I saw for the first time the tiger tail I thought I lost 9 months ago. w000000t!!!

Sea slugs...keeping these guys long term is a big challenge, from what I have read.

Lawnmower blenny...make sure you see it eat prepared foods before purchasing! Also, these guys eat film algae ime, and that's about it. Don't expect a LMB to work algae miracles, and you won't be disappointed. Very cool fish, though.

Emerald crabs are hit or miss for valonia. Mine have developed a taste for prepared foods and no longer have an appetite for the dreaded green bubble algae.

Fancy serpent sea star...no idea.

Finally, I wouldn't get more than 2 or 3 fighting conchs.

Just my 2 cents.

[leveldrummer]

i agree with chris, for ceriths, i would only go with about 30-50, they are small but they get around, instead of just turbos, you can throw in some margaritas, astrea, and a couple others for a good mix, you seem to forget shrimp, GOTTA HAVE SHRIMP! LOL im not a big fan of the sifting stars either, you dont see them, if they die, you dont know, and they can actually clean your sand out. but lots of people do like them, nassarius snails are awesome, i just got a few myself, you can probably throw at least 10 in there no problem, and it would make if fun to see them when they come up for food.

[Jflip2002]

Originally Posted by ChrisPrusha

Lawnmower blenny...make sure you see it eat prepared foods before purchasing! Also, these guys eat film algae ime, and that's about it. Don't expect a LMB to work algae miracles, and you won't be disappointed. Very cool fish, though.

Thats for sure. I thought mine was going to work miracles. He didnt lol. All he does is eat the film off of my plastic, when I go look at my tank, you can see hundreds of kiss marks on it lol.

But with that said, hes the coolest fish in my reef tank!

[Nyles]

LMB are nice, he keeps my LR clean, serpent stars are really cool and they eat most the extra debris, they are fun to watch walk on there feet, people freak when they come over and see it.

I preffer Blue leg hermits and scarlet hermits for cleanup, but thats just me, I dont host any snails due to my hermit colection. 100 blues and 30-40 scarlets in a 155 bow. If something dies they will have it cleaned in a matter of minutes.

Emeralds are a pain, if you dont have bubble algae stay away.

Sea cucumbers are nice if you need extra sand cleaning

I have 3 sifting stars and they clean my 6 foot long tank to well. However there is still tons of pods and other little stuff.

Turbos suck only because when they fall 50% of the time they cant right themselves and just die. They clean good though if you can get over that.

[Nyles]

Keep in mind you need to have pretty stable ph to host thos hermits, if not they will die off pretty fast.

[Fly Guy]

I LOVE my lmb, hes my fav, although he gets ticked off if i dont give him mysis once a week and knocks stuff over............

ps.......ALL CRABS SUCK

But thats just my opinion

[jenajet]

Hate crabs here too. My turbo is an excellent cleaner. I would get some peppermints they will keep your aiptasia away.

[Geoff]

ditto on the Crabs Suck!!

i would go with Ceriths, astreas, Trochus, and a couple of big turbos. i do not like nassarius. not a big welk fan.

G~

[drdude05]

Turbos suck only because when they fall 50% of the time they cant right themselves and just die. They clean good though if you can get over that.

I thought astrea snails were the ones that couln't right themselves if they fell on their back and that was one of the main reasons for getting turbos was because they could.

Anyway the new list:
Nassarius Snails
Cerith Snails
Trochus Snails
Turbo Snails
Scarlet Hermits
Blue Leg Hermits
Sea Cucumber (Tiger Tail)
LawnMower Blenny
Fancy Serpent Sea Star
Tongan Fighting Conchs (4)
Peppermint Shrimp

How many peppermint shrimp are good for a 180? And is one tiger tail enough? Anyone have any other additions?