Clearner crew

[vinopa30]

Hey all,
I have a 29gal with a 7gal sump and 25lbs or lr, 40lbs ls and 25lbs 6mos old base rock.
I started with tap water (ouch! lost a few creatures from crappy water quality...) and bought a clean up crew. Right after a few things died I finally switched to RO water.
I bought:
10 blue leg hermits (8 or so alive)
10 turbo snails (all died)
1 mexican snail (died)
3 emerald crabs (all lived and are doing well)
Current livestock:
2 perc clowns
1 3 stripe damsel
coral banded shrimp
3 emerald crabs
8 blue leg hermets
6" conde anemone
What should I have for my clean up crew? Algae is becoming a problem. Tank is 8 mos old.
Thanks

 

[mitzel]

what kind of water peramiters do you have ?Also whats your lighting schedule like ? turbo snails and hermits and maybe a sand sifting blenny will help maybe a yellow tang. .

 

[vinopa30]

I have 50/50 and antic both at 65watts running from 10am-8pm. Water quality is perfect. I feed 1-2x a day. Spot feed anemone every 7-10 days and the banded shrimp every 2-3 days. The algae is a dark green, and also a lighter green that extends out .5-.75 inches. I'd get a tang but my tank isnt big enough :-(
I don't know if I should get more hermits, I'm at 7 or 8 right now but there is still a good amount of algae left. The emerald crabs are pretty good sized now, I'd say about 1.5-2" across from leg tip to leg tip (the shell is about the size of a quater). I will look into the blenny. Thanks for the advice.

 

[mitzel]

IMO emeralds are worthless. all mine does is hang out in the rocks and torture my other livestock. What are you spot feeding the anemonie? You could get some horse shoe crabs to keep alge from growing on the sand .

 

[mitzel]

also how long have you been using RO water?

 

[vinopa30]

3 or 4 months now... things people (my lfs) don't tell you when you start out. Either brine shirmp or krill for the anemone. It also sometimes takes flakes or pellets as they float by. Seems to be doing very well.
I love those horse shoe crabs so maybe I'll grab one, along with the blenny if they are compatable. with 50+lbs of rock I think there will be enough food for them.
I has been 4 months since anything has been added to my tank so everything should be fine.

 

[mitzel]

how often do you do water changes?

 

[vinopa30]

10-15% once a week. or 20% every two.

 

[mitzel]

Originally Posted by vinopa30
10-15% once a week. or 20% every two.
good .

 

[vinopa30]

I'll probably be heading to the lfs today to get a few things, I'll post the results of the extra cleaners.

 

[wax32]

Please don't buy a horseshoe crab. They aren't really crabs and don't belong in our reef... they need a lot of open sand and actually eat the stuff your want in your sand. Also, they can get HUGE which would be a problem in your tank.

 

[bigarn]

Originally Posted by wax32
Please don't buy a horseshoe crab. They aren't really crabs and don't belong in our reef... they need a lot of open sand and actually eat the stuff your want in your sand. Also, they can get HUGE which would be a problem in your tank.
Agreed!

 

[vinopa30]

Didn't end up getting one, even without reading the above. I figured the same when I saw it in the store, felt bad for it and I knew I didn't have enough open bottom to keep it happy.

 

[dexter]

check the inverts sold here. Mine are doing great and I should be getting my 100g cleanup crew this saturday. they also have some "specials" under the value menu. From what i've seen, the prices here are alot cheaper than any i've seen at any of my lfs.
Dxtr

 

[legendary]

Hi guys and Gals i,m new to this site, i have been away from the hobby for awhile, i'm just getting my sealegs back over the past few months so bear with me. As a rule of thumb cleaners for a saltwater tank should equal 1 per gallon. also i want to say that you should try feeding everyother day that would help you out some. Back to the cleaners some marine biologist differ on how you arrive with the # of cleaners because of the displacement of water by LR but if your tank is cycled you should not have any problems... one person did mention a seacucumber i think everyone should have at least 1 in the tank they do a great job at keeping the sand bed clean. well i better stop now i have enjoyed reading the posts,, you guys do a good job with giving advice Well Done..