Adding some inverts to cleaning package

[andy51632]

My tank is almost cycled, ammonia trace, nitrite trace, and nitrate is at 2. I am going to get my cleaner package hopefully next week from saltwaterfish.com. I am going to get the big 20 package and would like to add a couple more inverts.
Could you tell me if a fire shrimp will be alright in my new setup?
Anyother hardy inverts besides the one in the big 20?
I am running a QT but won't get my first fish for it until the end of Febuary(busy and can't make the 2hr drive to LFS). I would like some more to look at for the first month.

 

[sly]

If you don't have any fish in the tank then you can skip the quarantine for the first time. Because essentially any fish you add to your DT would be in quarantine anyway. Just don't add any other fish for a month and you will be ok.
I haven't had that shrimp but I have had all sorts of snails, crabs, urchins, stars, cucumbers and nudibranches...
From my experience, pincushion urchins are very good at cleaning a tank as are turbo snails and nariss. snails. I don't like crabs much because whenever the food runs out, they eat the snails. IMO, snails do a much better job cleaning the tank than do crabs. I DON'T like the pencil urchin. They just sit there wasting space (but they are pretty). Cucumbers are good but nudibranches are a waste of money. They don't do much and they don't live long. Stars are only for well established tanks and they require special feeding procedures to stay alive for long.
With all that said, I would recommend 2 pincushion urchins, about 30 turbo snails and 20 naris. snails. 2 cucumbers and 2 conch if you can find them. I have a 72 and that setup has worked VERY well for me.

 

[fc307]

I second the Turbo/Astrea Snail and hermit crab mix. My hermits have been eating all the turbo's. If they fall over and your not there to turn them back over they are done. Nassarius Snails seem to do well with all the hermits.

 

[deadmanschest]

turbos ar great at eating algea. hermits are great to but dont buy the blue legs because they will definatly eats snails. my scarlets and jades never eat snails even when they are flipped over. and nass. snails are great to scavenge left over food but get a little greedy. one time i had a nass take food right out of a hermits claws.

 

[gmidd]

If your looking for a cleaning crew, I highly recommend Turbo/Astrea snails. Theys guys will go EVERY WHERE to clean up, equiptment, sand, rock and glass. If there is a conflict with the Hermits, nix the Hermits. From all my reading Hermit are more of a bother then a benefit, attacking fish and eating snails. They couldn't hold a torch to the cleaning of these snails.
As for Bluelegs I need to do a little more reading because I have 5 and the are barely a .25 inch and from what I read don't get much bigger then a .50 inch. To my understanding they don't outgrow their shells. They haven't bothered my Snails at all, one piggie backed on a snail cleaning his shell and then let him be. If one did try to eat one the crab would be full with just the feelers of the snails

I thought it was the other Hermits that you need to be careful with.
Here's a pic of one of my little guys...

 

[andy51632]

The only reason I like the crabs is because I would think they would be funner(thats not a word is it) to watch than the snails. I do not want to add a fish and have it get sick and then I would have to transfer it to my QT do hypo or treat w/ copper and it end up dying because of the move.
I think I will deal w/ the crabs predatory instinct might have to purchase some more snails later though. What crabs are cool to watch and won't kill healthy fish?

 

[dperna]

i've had a few scarlet/blue legged crabs for the last 4 months. i got some new nass. snails(that are extremely large and really good workers) and a scarlet picked at the nass. while he was trying to climb the glass and as he moved away the scarlet followed him and tried to pinch him again. this is the first incidint that i actually saw so im considering taking them out just thinking about how many snails i could/could have already lost. thats just my little experience to get you thinkin though. good luck with whatever you go with!

 

[gmidd]

I hear what your saying but your talking about a cleaning crew. You could get a few Crabs and extra shells. I personally think this sites cleaning package is too heavy on the crabs... but you can't beat their prices

But I'll say it again, nothing beats the cleaning of the Turbo/Atrea Snails.