3 questions before trip to LFS this afternoon!

[spammie5]

I will be stopping through a neighboring city and going to their LFS later this afternoon. I have not been there but have heard good things about them from friends of mine also in the hobby. I have a small list of things to look for and hopefully get. Just wanted opinions on a few of them...
1. I have a camel shrimp who makes a mess near his "home"....I'm guessing its just his waste but it's only on the sand bed near where he perches. Small brown rod-looking pieces? After much researching, I'm guessing maybe a hermit crab is best for cleaning up after him? There are so many different opinions on what crab will work with others and eating snails and all that...so here's what I have in my 55 gal tank right now:
Pair of Ocellaris Clowns
Scooter Blenny
Camel Shrimp
Cleaner Shrimp
3 Turbo Snails
4 Cerith Snails
I like the approach of building my clean up crew as needed and that's what I want to do today, get something to clean up after that silly shrimp! I will certainly get extra shells for any crab I may get to hopefully deter from eating any snails. I do know that right now I'm pretty happy with my CUC...I had some green algae on one rock last night and this morning it was all gone with a fat and happy snail nearby! So with that combination of critters, what's your opinion of the best crab (or other CUC critter) to get?
2. Also, the only food I have right now (with the exception of pods for my blenny) is frozen 'Marine Cuisine.' What other foods can I get to feed to my stock? I'm looking for all options too...I know some things eat lettuce and what-not, so all suggestions welcome! I read a lot about Mysis Shrimp as well as frozen brine and also bloodworms.
3. The only other thing I might add today are a couple of firefish gobies. My research shows they are kept best in pairs and should be compatible with what I already have.
So I guess in a nutshell I'd like to know about:
1. Compatible crab
2. Food options
3. Firefish Gobies
Thanks in advance and look forward to hearing all thoughts.

 

[premilove]

1- red leg hermits are more peaceful from what i heard. if u do get blue leg hermits, just keep extra shells in the tank to eliminate kiling
2-MYSIS SHRIMP !!!
3-make sure your tank has a cover. i read somewhere that they work well in trios if you wanted to add another. my friend has 3 purple firefish..

 

[eric b 125]

well, depending on what direction you want to go with your tank (by your stocklist it looks like peaceful community or reef) and how big your tank is, you have some options. i really dont know much about different kinds of hermits, but i have a brittle starfish that does a good job picking things clean. firefish i think would be a good addition though, IMO. as far as feeding goes, it's best to feed a variety of food. for example, in the morning i feed pellets, in the afternoon i either feed pellets or mysis/brine, and in the evening i feed frozen herbivore cubes. i also put a sheet of nori in the tank every two days or so.

 

[eric b 125]

oh, by the way, the pellets i feed are spectrum thera + A

 

[spammie5]

Eric: Yes a peaceful reef tank is the goal. And my tank is a 55 gallon.
Glad to hear about the brittle stars....I have looked at them, even had some in the past and might add him to my CUC as well.
Are you using the same Nori you would buy in the grocery store?
Off-topic question: how do I do the quoting one line at a time so I can answer certain questions? I can't figure that out!

 

[oceansidefish]

Originally Posted by Spammie5
http:///forum/post/2969882
I will be stopping through a neighboring city and going to their LFS later this afternoon. I have not been there but have heard good things about them from friends of mine also in the hobby. I have a small list of things to look for and hopefully get. Just wanted opinions on a few of them...
1. I have a camel shrimp who makes a mess near his "home"....I'm guessing its just his waste but it's only on the sand bed near where he perches. Small brown rod-looking pieces? After much researching, I'm guessing maybe a hermit crab is best for cleaning up after him? There are so many different opinions on what crab will work with others and eating snails and all that...so here's what I have in my 55 gal tank right now:
Pair of Ocellaris Clowns
Scooter Blenny
Camel Shrimp
Cleaner Shrimp
3 Turbo Snails
4 Cerith Snails
I like the approach of building my clean up crew as needed and that's what I want to do today, get something to clean up after that silly shrimp! I will certainly get extra shells for any crab I may get to hopefully deter from eating any snails. I do know that right now I'm pretty happy with my CUC...I had some green algae on one rock last night and this morning it was all gone with a fat and happy snail nearby! So with that combination of critters, what's your opinion of the best crab (or other CUC critter) to get?
2. Also, the only food I have right now (with the exception of pods for my blenny) is frozen 'Marine Cuisine.' What other foods can I get to feed to my stock? I'm looking for all options too...I know some things eat lettuce and what-not, so all suggestions welcome! I read a lot about Mysis Shrimp as well as frozen brine and also bloodworms.
3. The only other thing I might add today are a couple of firefish gobies. My research shows they are kept best in pairs and should be compatible with what I already have.
So I guess in a nutshell I'd like to know about:
1. Compatible crab
2. Food options
3. Firefish Gobies
Thanks in advance and look forward to hearing all thoughts.
There is no need for Nori sheets in your tank at this time. I feed spectrum pellets, and then do supplement feeding about 1 or 2x per week with frozen Rod's FO food. Firefish CAN fight, you can get two but understand it may not go well at home in your tank. I am a fan of only one per tank. You could also add a twin-spot/candy hog or a small wrasse such as a possum or canary. I would look into an emerald crab, they are big algae eaters.

 

[spammie5]

Well, LFS had no crabs (no crabs???) I wish I had been able to read your post Oceanside, as this store only had one Firefish and I opted to not get him.
I did get frozen Mysis Shrimp as well as garlic drops for a supplement.
Plus a Nitrite and Phosphate test kit. Both of which are at 0....