Cleaner Crew for a 26 gallon tank and a Hello!

[yellowg555]

Hey guys,
I just recently registered after reading on all your insightful posts/responses. I have learned a lot since stumbling across this forum. =D
What is the ideal cleaning crew for this size tank? Do you think the packages available from SWF are too big for my tank?
Also, contrary to what most people think, the LFS I go to is a huge source of information for me, as is this website. It is run by an old japanese man who's had his store for well over 30 years. He basically set me up with my tank with 2 air pumps (1 connected to a small airstone which sits at the bottom of a tube to create a column of bubbles and the other connected to a long airstone which I hide behind a LR. He says bubbles are key and I believe him. This is only the 3rd day in my cycling process, and I have a fire gobi, a damsel, an anomone crab and a shrimp with faint red stripes. I also have about 15-20 pounds of sand that was dry but had bacteria in it and about 10 pounds of live rock.
Wow, I put much more information than I originally intended, but I guess that's because maybe I little overexcited!
Cheers, and thanks in advance!

 

[reef fool]

If you are only 3 days into your cycle, you will probably lose the shrimp, crab and goby. They are a little to sensitive to withstand the cycling process. Especially the shrimp!
As far as a cleanup crew, Wait a little while and get some snails.
your cycle will, more than likely, take longer than 3 days
I let someone else comment on the air stones.

 

[saltym3]

im far from being an expert.. but arent air bubbles not recommended for salt water?

 

[reef fool]

I didn't give a specific comment because I didn't know the specific reason, but I know that there aren't many people using air in saltwater tanks.

 

[yellowg555]

Does anyone know if there is a specific reason why? This is my first tank, and when I was at his store, all his tanks had air bubbles only and the fish were doing well.
Thanks!

 

[chef jaysen]

Well first of all welcome to the board........
1) From what I have seen with snails you can never have enough. I think the rule is one per 5 gallons. I have more like 2 and want/ need more.
2) If you trust this guy which I hope you can he should of warned you that you can not cycle your tank with all that. The damsel will probably live but will torement your firefish to death before the massive increase of ammonia/trites and trates kill him.
3)From what I have read about air stones they stress out the fish. I think there is other reasons as well but the consensus on the board is no bubbles. And with the tanks I have seen here run succesfully I will do what they do.
4) The anemone needs alot of light so I hope you have alot to sustain its life before the ammonia/trites/trates kill it.
Point here is really do a search on cyling a tank and read. Then read some more and save yourself a ton of money on lessing your mistakes. Trust me I do and still make a few.....Cheers

 

[karenjo]

If it were me, I would take all of the tank inhabitants back to this lfs guy because he has told u some bad info. Throw in a raw shrimp from the grocery store and your cycle should do fine. If not, watch those fish slowly die. This would be so sad.

 

[sammystingray]

The biggest trouble with bubbles in saltwater is they cause "salt creep", which is the loss of salt out of the tank basically, because they pop at the top and throw water up on the lights and such, and the salt stays on everything after the water evaporates.....in tanks with high surfactant levels, foam may collect on top also.. QUOTE "This is only the 3rd day in my cycling process, and I have a fire gobi, a damsel, an anomone crab and a shrimp with faint red stripes."...........if he said that's the thing to do, then he is giving you BAD information, and he will get plenty of your money as things die. If you got a Porcelain Anemone Crab, he needs to eat planktonic foods, which you don't really have yet, and mucus from an anemone, but he may take some food you offer him........I would lose the air pumps, and replace them with a couple powerheads to move the water.