Canary in a coal mine

[chris a h]

I used Cup-R-Safe and carbon to remove copper from my 75 gallon F.O. Tank.
I bought three blue legged hermit crabs and all three seem to be doing fine.
The crushed coral substrate will be replaced with new c.c. later this week.
If these crabs live two or three weeks without problems, is it probably safe to add say an emerald green crab?
Also, what is everyone elses experiences with a cleanup crew? How big of a difference did it make in your tank?
Chris:happy:

 

[elfdoctors]

Originally posted by Chris A H
I used Cup-R-Safe and carbon to remove copper from my 75 gallon F.O. Tank.
I bought three blue legged hermit crabs and all three seem to be doing fine.
The crushed coral substrate will be replaced with new c.c. later this week.
If these crabs live two or three weeks without problems, is it probably safe to add say an emerald green crab?
Also, what is everyone elses experiences with a cleanup crew? How big of a difference did it make in your tank?
Chris:happy:
The carbon won't do much. Carbon has very little binding to inorganic compounds. I have no experience with Cup-R-Safe. Removing the cc and changing the water are the most important things to do. If the crabs do okay, you are probably set to go.
Cleanup crews are a matter of personal preference. I think that nothing works great while you are starting up a tank and then they all work fine (along with bristleworms, pods and other hitchhikers). I wouldn't overbuy a cleanup crew initially.
Inverts are a great way to fill up an order from swf.com as you should probably never buy more than 2 fish at a time. Experiment with different lifeforms. Guests love to look around for different things when they see your tank.