When's a good time to add the clean up crew?

[jipps]

...I'd imagine it'd be a short while after you have some fish livin in there but maybe i'm wrong?

[tims]

well that depends on your term or meaning of clean up crew,
i think of a crew that needs to clean up the various algae you get near the need of a cycle.
once your parameters become stable you shoudl be okay to start adding a algae eating clean up crew

[jipps]

I'm talkin about brittle stars or sand sifters, hermits, snails - the ones that do a lot of the dirty work of cleaning things up.

[Phishnoob]

I would say two months in to your rock and tank getting settled. The first fish maybe a month later.

[motorslave]

i agree, once the parameters a good then throw em in!

R

[Twitterbait]

Before the fish but after the full cycle. Many are seeing a Cyno outbreak during the cycle or toward the end followed by a hair algae outbreak within 2-3 months (approx) after the cycle ends. try to get them in during the 4th to 5th week if you have no ammonia and nitrites are almost gone.

[Loverotties]

Originally Posted by Twitterbait

Before the fish but after the full cycle. Many are seeing a Cyno outbreak during the cycle or toward the end followed by a hair algae outbreak within 2-3 months (approx) after the cycle ends. try to get them in during the 4th to 5th week if you have no ammonia and nitrites are almost gone.

I agree with you Tony

[jipps]

I have two damsels now...ammonia zero, trites zero, trates 20, sg 25, temp 77