A good clean up crew?

[sheni_angel]

I would like to have people's opinions on exactly what you would put in a 100 gallon tank for a clean up crew..
Please keep in mind that I would ultimately like to have a mandarin as well and don't want to mess up needed copepods.?

 

[zipperfish]

load it up with different types of crabs and snails for starters. i would also check out the reef packages on this site to get an idea of the number you will need.

 

[nm reef]

I would suggest one of the crews offered here......dispite comments in regard to aggressive crabs......my reef has had a number of red& blue hermits...numerous little black hermits.....emeralds and turbo snails.....plus an assortment of other snails......personally I believe in diversity and natural selection.........some deaths will occur but none of the clean-up critters have been destructive in my system.........mine is a 55 and total numbers are
20-30 assorted hermits
30 or so snails
1 large green brittle
currently in need of a couple of emeralds
1 peppermint shrimp

 

[k.lee]

Astrea snails are great. Acclimate them slowly like a coral. I picked up 5 several days ago, and they eat algae like mad. I think I could do with more. I also got 10 hermits but they seem to be pestering soft leather corals some.
I'd say about 20 large astrea snails would be good for you, and hermits for a reef maybe. Time will tell on mine. I'm thinking of losing the blue legs, but I have a tusk in my FOWLR. <img src="graemlins//eek.gif" border="0" alt="[eek]" />
Lee

 

[sheni_angel]

None of these bother copepod production do they, if I'm hoping to have a mandarin someday? I'm really new at the copepod thing. <img src="graemlins//angel.gif" border="0" alt="[angel]" />

 

[q]

Usually the shimp are the pod eaters. The other things eat algea and uneaten food in the tank. The fighting and queen conch's would be a good addition. If you don't have much sand area then you need to keep the numbers down. I have 3 queen and 4 fighting conches along with a few snails, 15 hermit crabs (mixed), emerald crabs, and 2 peppermint shrimp. My pod copeopod population is going strong. Almost forgot it is a 75 gallon tank.

 

[sheni_angel]

Thanks for the input! Stay low on the shrimp then and favor the conches, snails, and crabs, huh? The shrimp are what I was going to get a bunch of so it's good to know.