Cleaning crew options in a Semi-Agg Tank

[95harley]

Can large snails or crabs(aka Turbo's, Trochus, Astreas, blue legs, red leg Scarlets) be kept with H. Tusks, SFE, and/or Niger Triggers?
Tank is a 240 with 300lbs of good qualtiy LR
Other tank mates would be:
V Lion
Mini. Grouper
Queen Angel
Several Tangs possible
Maybe an Auriga BF. (potential Aptasia outbreak, still TBD)
I just finished my Brown Diatom bloom and needed some cleaners.
I've added some 10 large Turbo's, 3 Blue legs, and 40 Nassarius's to the tank and as of last night they were hard at work.
I also have a Chocolate Chip SF, but he just hangs out up on the glass, and eats hand fed shrimp chunks...no real scavenging from him yet.
Appreciate any suggestions for a cleaning crew. Anyone have experience/success with a cleaning crew in a Semi Agg tank?

 

[sharkboy13]

snails, hermits, and large agg stars r the only things that do well in agg setups as far as cleaning crews go

 

[95harley]

Wait a min Sharkboy, thanks for the response but do you have any experience in this?
02-18-2007, 12:28 AM
wanabebell
Yellow Tang Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 597
sharkboy once again why do i get the feeling you chimed in when you really dont know what you are talking about????
have you seen a harlequin tusk's big bright blue teeth
those are for CRUSHING crustaceans
shirmps
crabs
snails
starfish
are all perfectly fair game in a harlequins mind

 

[95harley]

So I am assuming that my small Nassarius's will be picked one by one over time by a tusk.
But what about the larger Turbo's and Astrea's?
Thanks all for any real world exp help.

 

[splatee]

Your snails will probally be picked off a little. I would reccomed finding some large hermit crabs. That is what i use in my 240 FOWLR. I have a Niger trigger, Black Hawaian trigger, Goldentail eel, Sailfin tang and a Indigo Blue Hamlet. I am needing to get a few more.

 

[sharkboy13]

i have seen tusks take off hermits and snails, and honestly i had forgotten the tuskwhen i said stars, for UR tank specifically only hermits and snails, evrything else will be eaten

 

[wanabebell]

thanks for the quote (I feel speical now)
no sharkboy snail will be picked off in a matter of weeks
and hermit crabs are goin to be picked on too
even strawberries
I tried a strawberry
and my tusk harassed it to the point were it starved

 

[wanabebell]

how big is your tusk

 

[95harley]

None yet, but as my Lion is 8" and my Miniatus is about 7". I'm going to order a large / XL Aust from my LFS.

 

[wanabebell]

so im gonna say 4-7 inches for the tusk
im gonna give bet 2 weeks with your snails once he aclimates to your tank
probally sooner

 

[sharkboy13]

so what would be a cleaner invert? if not snails and hermits what?

 

[wanabebell]

hand cleaning and good water quality
if you have the money for them
a good price for them around my area is 20$ for a 1inch specimon
I have one tiger cowrie that does a good job and the tust could really care less about it
I honestly dont know if cowries dont taste good or if their shells are to hard to break
mine is also very nocternal(which may help) it hides under my morays pvc pipe during day but at night if you take a flashlight i can find it
or just look for the spot thats missing algea and has the snail marks on iyt

 

[95harley]

Do you not think the Large Turbo snails won't make it? I'm not even sure i could crack them with a nut cracker.

 

[wanabebell]

hahahha i honestly thought the same thing
but no they will not
and actually i watched my tusk break them
the dont break the shell but instead break the flap that they use to close the shell if that makes any sense
i cant try and re-explain if that dosnt make sence

 

[jon321]

Ive kept brittle stars with aggressive fish (serpent stars are too prone to come running at dinner time). As long as theres lots of rockwork youll never know they are there and neither will the fish. They are very good for cleaning up uneaten food, especially if you feed right before lights out.
Jon

 

[jon321]

Originally Posted by 95Harley
Do you not think the Large Turbo snails won't make it? I'm not even sure i could crack them with a nut cracker.
The fish probably wont take them out right away, but sooner or later a snail will fall on its back, or be in an awkward position and the tusk/trigger will notice and "help" it fall on its back.
Jon

 

[wanabebell]

i watched my tusk pull a snail of the rocks