Cycle-Clean up crew, suggestions?

[vpotts28]

I am in my eleventh day of my cycle. Here were my tests as of yesterday.
Ammonia 0
Trites 3
Trates 40-80
PH 8.0
I realize that I am getting close to the end of the cycle, possibly another week. Will watch anxiously to make sure there isn't a sudden spike. I guess I need to turn my attention to getting a clean up crew. I have a 55 gal, with 40lbs caribsea sand, and 55lbs LR. What should the cleanup crew consist of? Can I add a few clowns during this? How important is it to quarantine these creatures, since I do not have a QT as of yet?

 

[theappe]

First of all, no fish till the end of the cycle after a water change. Clean up crew you can add. Anything from hermits to crabs to snails.... whatever works for you.

 

[vpotts28]

Originally Posted by theappe
First of all, no fish till the end of the cycle after a water change. Clean up crew you can add. Anything from hermits to crabs to snails.... whatever works for you.
What would be sufficient for a 55 gal, what combination?

 

[theappe]

Ive always heard about 1 snail/hermit per gallon. You can get some sally lightfoot crabs, emeralds. IDK pretty much whatever clean up crew your LFS has. If you want you can check the cleaner crew packages they have here of SWF.com to get an idea of what a good mix would be. But just to let you know. A hermit is hermit regardless of the color. Thats not true with snails though.

 

[vpotts28]

Originally Posted by theappe
Ive always heard about 1 snail/hermit per gallon. You can get some sally lightfoot crabs, emeralds. IDK pretty much whatever clean up crew your LFS has. If you want you can check the cleaner crew packages they have here of SWF.com to get an idea of what a good mix would be. But just to let you know. A hermit is hermit regardless of the color. Thats not true with snails though.
Thanks for the advice, it is appreciated. I will look into the packages.

 

[vpotts28]

Would this package be OK for a FOWLR
Saltwaterfish.com has been selling Reef Packages online since 1999. These packages were designed to help hobbyists in their selection of reef compatible invertebrates. Some packages are designed for specific aquarium sizes while others are a collection of popular reef invertebrates that we feel will make a great addition to your tank. Invertebrates are an integral part of any saltwater aquarium. They help to battle different types of algae as well as adding lots of activity and life at a very reasonable price. We highly suggest these Reef Packages for any hobbyist.
Products belonging to this package Quantity
Scarlet Hermit Crab: 10
Blueleg Hermit Crab: 10
Nasssarius Snail: 10
Brittle Starfish: 2
Coral Banded Shrimp: 1
Emerald Crab: 3
Turbo/Astrea Snail: 20
Cleaner Clam: 2

 

[theappe]

Depends what fish are you gonna keep. FOWLR could mean aggressive also, so the coral banded shrimp could become lunch.

 

[vpotts28]

Originally Posted by theappe
Depends what fish are you gonna keep. FOWLR could mean aggressive also, so the coral banded shrimp could become lunch.
This is going to be a non-aggressive community tank. I guess the only semi aggresive fish would be a flounder. Got to have one of those.

 

[earlybird]

Flounder in a 55? I caught one last week that went 18". I would consider flounder to be agressive.

 

[vpotts28]

Originally Posted by earlybird
Flounder in a 55? I caught one last week that went 18". I would consider flounder to be agressive.

I have caught them in the gulf, but the flounder would be 1" when first introduced to the tank.

 

[vpotts28]

Of course I would read and research at great lenghths before I even tried to introduce. I know when I caught them, much larger than 18", they were caught using shrimp. So I know for a fact they like verts.

 

[earlybird]

IMO, It's just a matter of time before it would disturb your sand as they bury themselves. This will cause your levels to spike and possibly your tank to crash if not dealt with immediately. There are many different species of fluke or flounder some get upwards of 100# and live in cold water. The flounder I catch around here are Gulf flounder or Southern flounder. I got him to eat a pinfish that was about 3.5" big. They are ambush predators and will eat anything of appropriate size that swims in front of its face.
I found this picture where this guy keeps no sand to prevent spikes. At this stage this flounder was eating 18 feeder guppies but I don't know how often. This fish would add a lot to your bioload.

 

[vpotts28]

Originally Posted by earlybird
IMO, It's just a matter of time before it would disturb your sand as they bury themselves. This will cause your levels to spike and possibly your tank to crash if not dealt with immediately. There are many different species of fluke or flounder some get upwards of 100# and live in cold water. The flounder I catch around here are Gulf flounder or Southern flounder. I got him to eat a pinfish that was about 3.5" big. They are ambush predators and will eat anything of appropriate size that swims in front of its face.
You are absolutely correct in your opinion. They are just so amazing to watch if you have ever been able to see them in captivity. Their camoflauge skills are incredible, but that is for a reason, as you said they are ambush predators. Trust me this won't be one of my first fish, IF I ever acquire one. This will be researched greatly. Thanks for the advice.

 

[earlybird]

Originally Posted by Vpotts28
You are absolutely correct in your opinion. They are just so amazing to watch if you have ever been able to see them in captivity. Their camoflauge skills are incredible, but that is for a reason, as you said they are ambush predators. Trust me this won't be one of my first fish, IF I ever acquire one. This will be researched greatly. Thanks for the advice.
You're on the right track with the research. Just didn't want you to find that it ate your clownfish. It should be kept with other agressive fish. Good luck

 

[vpotts28]

Earlybird, while I have your attention. I don't know how experienced you are, but I posted another thread, I don 't know if you were able to view it. Here is what I said, If you have any advice, it would be greatly appreciated.
After testing my tank yesterday, in my 13th day of cycle here are my readings. 55 gal FOWLR, 40 lbs sand, 55 lbs LR. Corallife ss 65, power filter, two maxi jet 900s
Ammonia 0
Trites 0
Trates 40-80
PH 8
Temp 78
What is my next step? Add clean up crew, or do water change to get to 10. What would my next month look like?

 

[earlybird]

As for experience I have no hands on just a lot of reading since December. You can add clean up crew and then do a water change. After that you could consider adding sand to the top of the sand you currently have as there is a possibility that you lost some of the "less hardy" microfauna that was in the sand during the cycle. Check this out Bang Guy's Cycle Method

 

[vpotts28]

 

[theappe]

wow never seen a flounder in a fish tank before!

 

[xnikki118x]

I would not get a coral banded shrimp. I've heard too many bad stories about them being nasty, etc. Nassarius snails, turbo snails, mexican redleg hermits and blueleg hermits are my favorite cleanup crew members. Emerald crabs are also priceless if you ever get hair algae.