Cleanng crew

[marsmaster]

I just started a 12 gallon Biocube about 3 weeks ago. I just added two clown fish yesterday should i wait to add a cleaning crew or can i add them now? I am also open to any suggestion as to what to use as the cleaners.
:help:

 

[b0bby1]

if i wer u i would have added them before the fish, but u should be fine. as for the inverts i would recommend: a cleaner or fire shrimp, some hermits (scarletts and electric blues r the best), and a bunch of snails about 10 of them. but dont add all of these guys to your tank at once, add a couple per week.

 

[mushroomss]

not to put you down or anything bobby but 10 snails in a 12 gallon is way unnecessary and a recipe for certain death.my list of cleaning crew for you tank is 1 cleaner shrimp 2 hermit crabs at the most and 2 snails at the most.if you add more hermits they will kill each other and the snails.if you add to many snails they will die of starvation and predation.my 2 cents

 

[aztec reef]

check your parameters if everything is cool, then go ahead add the cleaning crew. if not then do a water change and wait a few days than add the crew..

 

[marsmaster]

I checked all the paramaters everthing is fine but the nitrate levels they are up to 20 ppm is that to high for the fish to have been in only i day?

 

[mushroomss]

that means your tank is cycling.Ride it out!

 

[bknow]

since we're on the subject...whats too much for a 20 gallon?? i have 5 turbo snails right now...gettin 5 more...and plannin on gettin like 10 hermits and 2 cleaners...is that too much??? of course im not getting it all at once

 

[nygel]

it wouldnt really matter if you got all that at once... CUC dont cause much bioload... but I really dont think that its an overkill to have 10 snails in a 12g.... well, depends on what type.... obviously if its a turbo its a problem and a waste of money but something small it shoudl be fine... I'm living off of two huge snails and a dozen small ones and 2 dozen hitchikers in my 29g righ tnow... oh, and 7 blue leg hermits.

 

[marsmaster]

would you get any sponges or would you stick with the shrimp, snails, and the hermit crabs?

 

[aztec reef]

stick with the nails ,crabs , shimps for now.