clean up crew?

[ppanthrah75]

just curious what should i have in my reef tank. its a 150 gallon deep right now i have 15 to 20 hermits ranging from red to blue to zebra hermits. i have 2 emarald crabs. i have maybe 10 snails two large and baby ones. alos a horseshoe crab. my biggest thing is how many snails. i cant gt any shrimp cause of my panther grouper.

 

[hunt]

What all do you have for fish?
EDIT: Never mind i just read your profile. When you say you have 2 large snails and 8 babies, do you have any idea what kind they are (turbos, ttrochus, nassarius ECT.)

 

[btldreef]

Need to know what kind of snails you have....
 
That being said,
 
I would suggest getting rid of the grouper if you plan on having a reef tank. IMO, groupers do better in FOWLR setups and reefs do better with some sort of cleaning shrimp in them. I'm a fan of Skunk Cleaner Shrimp in reef tanks.
 
Aside from that, I would recommend about 15 Nassairus snails, 10 Trochus, 10 Astreas, 10 Ceriths to start with. I'm not a huge fan of hermits, because they will kill the snails for sport. You'll have to replace snails often as you see numbers decrease due to the hermits eating them for their shells. I just went on a mission to remove my tanks of hermit crabs because I was tired of them killing my snails all the time.

 

[ppanthrah75]

ok thanx i have 10 astreas 2 large and 8 babies, 1 cerith, 4 nassairus i forget about thoose there always under the sand and with the hermits never new ho many i had ever since the move fom the 72 to the 150 it seems like theres a hell of alot more.

 

[hunt]

Ive never had any problem with my hermits. But i get turbo snails so maybe the size has something to do with that

 

[bang guy]

Horseshoe Crab? That animal is going to eat anything you put on the sand. Who talked you into buying one?

 

[btldreef]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bang Guy http:///forum/thread/380626/clean-up-crew#post_3313408
Horseshoe Crab? That animal is going to eat anything you put on the sand. Who talked you into buying one?
+1 I totally forgot to mention that earlier....

 

[meowzer]

Quote:
Originally Posted by BTLDreef http:///forum/thread/380626/clean-up-crew#post_3313420
+1 I totally forgot to mention that earlier....
You're slacking BTLD

 
I was waiting for it

 

[ppanthrah75]

bought it because the lfs said it would be the best sand siftter, right now theres nothing on the sand floor very few corals just trying to get tank in check

 

[btldreef]

Quote:
Originally Posted by ppanthrah75 http:///forum/thread/380626/clean-up-crew#post_3313489
bought it because the lfs said it would be the best sand siftter, right now theres nothing on the sand floor very few corals just trying to get tank in check
Your LFS saw you for a sucker and a dollar sign and sold you an animal that really should not be kept in captivity.
 
Have you seen how big these guys get and how quickly? If you were to keep one, you'd need a tank with just sand and water, not rocks to even attempt to make it happy.
 
Anyways, yes, it will sift the sand, but in the process it will eat anything and everything out of your sand bed. They will leave your sand bed barren and it will then serve no beneficial purpose to your tank and can actually become a nitrate producing factory.
 
Do yourself a favor, take it back to the LFS and DO NOT BUY ANYTHING WITHOUT DOING RESEARCH. Your LFS is not giving you good information, anything they tell you from now on, just say, "I'll have to do a little more research and think about it."

 

[gemmy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by ppanthrah75 http:///forum/thread/380626/clean-up-crew#post_3313489
bought it because the lfs said it would be the best sand siftter, right now theres nothing on the sand floor very few corals just trying to get tank in check
Can you please tell me what LFS in Jersey gave you this info? I want to make sure I never go there.

 

[ppanthrah75]

thanx guys im usually more carefull with purchases. the place i bought it is very very reputable so im not going to slander ive been going there ever since i started saltwater and there employees never ever steered me wrong if anything it is my fault for not doing the research.

 

[bang guy]

To answer your question, I typically recommend a variety of animals for a cleanup crew:
 
Bristleworms - this is the backbone of your cleanup crew
"Mopping" type of Sea Cucumber
Cerith Snails, Stomatella, Strombus alatus, Collumbellid Snails, Nerite Snails, Nassarius Snails
Emerald Crabs
 
 
Avoid:
Hermit crabs
Ilyanassa obsoleta
and sandsifters for reef tanks
 

 

[bang guy]

I should have added, this is just one person's opinion. Gather multiple opinions and see what makes sense for your specific situation. There is no one size fits all in this hobby.

 

[u mike]

I am from N J also & if you will not tell on what lfs sold you that I am cool with that. maybe tell us north / central / south jersey.I am in south 45 min from A C.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gemmy http:///forum/thread/380626/clean-up-crew#post_3313564
Can you please tell me what LFS in Jersey gave you this info? I want to make sure I never go there.

 

[gemmy]

Quote:
Originally Posted by u mike http:///forum/thread/380626/clean-up-crew#post_3313642
I am from N J also & if you will not tell on what lfs sold you that I am cool with that. maybe tell us north / central / south jersey.I am in south 45 min from A C.
 
I'm 45 mins from AC too. What LFS do you frequent? I haven't found any I really like.