help with nano tank cleaning crew!

colourmop

colourmop

Member
hello!
i have a 12 gal with 19 lb of LR and 3 inch LS, i just done cycling and trying to get a good cleaning crew before my alges get out of control. here is a list of what im getting, please help me to see if they will survive in my tank ^^
Scarlet Hermit Crab: 5
Blueleg Hermit Crab: 5
Turbo/Astrea Snail: 10
Nasssarius Snail: 5
very very small Derasa Clam: 1 (will put on top of the LR, so more light)
small Cucumber: 1
should i change cucumber (sand shifter) to a cleaning clam? or the cucumber will do find in my tank?
p.s. it will be a reef tank with 2 clowns and bunch of corals
thanks very much
 
demartini

demartini

Active Member
IMO you dont need that many snails. And i dont know much about cucumbers but i think they need a bigger tank. All i have in my 12g is 2 zebra hermets, 1 scarlet, 1 emerald, 4 nass snails, 1 cleaner shrimp, 1 sexy shrimp but i never see him ( i dont even know if hes still alive
)
 
colourmop

colourmop

Member
ahhh i guess your sexy shrimp is too shy to show himself!
btw, do i need something that dig into the sand and eat stuffs in the sand?
 
nygel

nygel

Active Member
try to get a cowry, its the best cleanup crew member i have, i was trying to let my back glass get all nasty and full of algae and in less than like 2 weeks he ate all of it. and how good is a cleaner shrimp? i need more cleaners for my 29.... dont know much about shrimp
 
colourmop

colourmop

Member
how about a Lettuce Nudibranch ? or my filter (wet/dry) will suck it in and kill it+kill the tank?
whats in my cart rightnow are:
2x queen conch
1x 50 empty hermit crab shells (no idea how long will those last)
10x blueleg hermit crabs
2x scarlet hermit crabs (cool looking)
1x lettuce nudibranch
10x nassarius snails
10x turbo snails
1x cleaning shrimp
do you think thats too many for a 12 gal with 20lb of LR and 3inch of LS? it will be a reef tank with 2x clowns (maybe a watchman paired with shrimp, around 5-8 small size corals and maybe a clam (depend on my lighting). if those are too much for my tank, which one should i remove?
also, do i need to buy food for them?
thanks!!
 
demartini

demartini

Active Member
Originally Posted by nYgel
try to get a cowry, its the best cleanup crew member i have, i was trying to let my back glass get all nasty and full of algae and in less than like 2 weeks he ate all of it. and how good is a cleaner shrimp? i need more cleaners for my 29.... dont know much about shrimp
He doesnt really clean much, hes really good at picking up the leftover food though. Mine is a pig.
Originally Posted by colourmop
if those are too much for my tank, which one should i remove?
IMO you dont need 10 turbos (maybe 2 or 3, and you dont need 10 nass (4 or 5)
Watch out with the nudibranch, i heard they can die easy by getting sucked into a PH or the intake of the filter.
And no you dont need to buy food for them, just feed your fish like normal.
 
colourmop

colourmop

Member
cant order them in less numbers, atleast not on swf :x
btw is there any way to stop nudibranch enter the intake of the filter? maybe put somekind netting in front of it?
 
demartini

demartini

Active Member
Originally Posted by colourmop
cant order them in less numbers, atleast not on swf :x
btw is there any way to stop nudibranch enter the intake of the filter? maybe put somekind netting in front of it?
I dont know too much about nudibranches, i wanted one but i dont want it to die. I think you have to put sponges infront of the intakes. But i could be wrong. Try doing a search. If you have trouble with hair algae, and emerald crab takes care of it very well and will aslo take out bubble algae. You dont have a LFS to just buy a few crabs/snails from? I really dont think you need that many
 
colourmop

colourmop

Member
how about
2x queen conch
1x 50 empty hermit crab shells (no idea how long will those last)
5x blueleg hermit crabs
2x scarlet hermit crabs (cool looking)
1x lettuce nudibranch
5x nassarius snails
5x turbo snails
1x cleaning shrimp
i think i could get blueleg hermit crabs and nassarius+turbo snails at my LFS, not sure about the others
 
demartini

demartini

Active Member
That sound ok, personally i dont think you need the queen conch, but if you want them go ahead. If you have to get a lettus nudibranch, make sure you wat peramiters are good and stable. And note that the cleaner shrimp doesnt actually clean the tank. Hes just good at picking up left over food and picking of parasites such as ick off of fish.
 
bonebrake

bonebrake

Active Member
Lose the queen conch, they will die in that small of a tank.
Lose the turbo snails and get two Mexican turbos instead.
The rest sounds fine. You really don't need a huge clean up crew; if you get that many different creatures most of them will end up dying from starvation.
:joy:
 
colourmop

colourmop

Member
how about something like:
5x blueleg hermit crabs
3x scarlet hermit crabs
5x nassarius snails
5x turbo snails
1x cleaning shrimp
and 1 Derasa Clam, small one
those as a clean crew for a 12 gal with 20lb of LR and 3 inch of LS?
 
colourmop

colourmop

Member
just wondering, any of those will help me clean my sand bed?(3 inch) also should i put them in the tank right away (with acclimation ofcuz) after my tank hit 0 ammonia 0 nitritrs and very low nitrates(after a 50% water change) or wait for couple more days after i have a stable tank?
also anyone think the clam will survive under 27w dual daylight +27w dual actinic light? (i will place the clam very close to the surface for more lights) or i shouldnt even think about getting a clam
 
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