Jesse Rorie
Member
I SPOKE TO A WOMAN TODAY AT MY LOCAL FISH STORE AND SHE TOLD ME THAT I SHOULD GET ALOT OF THINGS SUCH AS SNAILS AND HERMIT CRABS FOR MY TANK? JUST WANTED TO GET EVERYONES OPINION ON THIS?
INVERTEBRATES
- Thread starter Jesse Rorie
- Start date
kopczynski
Member
She is correct a lot of snails and hermits can help but i have seen tanks without them, but they are highly recommended.
Jesse Rorie
Member
So for a 55 gal tank how many woul u recommend of each?
jay0705
Well-Known Member
First, for most snails u need alage. A mix of snails is a good idea such as cerith, astrea, narssisus. ( eat dead matter) not algae. For a 55 maybe 12 or so.
Now crabs , some people like them some dont. Myself I like blue legged hermits mainly w a few red legs. I also like emerald crabs, in my 56 I have 12 blues,4 reds, and 1 emerald.
Also shrimp are helpful in keeping a healthy tanks aswell, peppermint, skunk cleaners, blood red, ect
Now crabs , some people like them some dont. Myself I like blue legged hermits mainly w a few red legs. I also like emerald crabs, in my 56 I have 12 blues,4 reds, and 1 emerald.
Also shrimp are helpful in keeping a healthy tanks aswell, peppermint, skunk cleaners, blood red, ect
flower
Well-Known Member
Hi,
The lady is talking about a CUC (clean up crew) I don't recommend hermits, they kill your snails. Brittle or serpent stars, nassarius snails, and shrimp will feed on wasted food that falls into the rocks. Turbo, nerite, cereth and astrea snails feed on algae, just to name a few. By having a variety of CUC critters, it will keep your tank very healthy. There are also CUC critters in the live rock...bristle worms for example will eat dead fish, so you won't have to go tearing apart the entire tank to find a missing fish. Then there are the bi-valves, pineapple sponges, and feather worms that are filter feeders...the amphipods, copepods and isopods feed on detritus ...they all are part of the CUC.
One of joys of keeping SW tanks is the fact that the CUC critters actually do a great job.
Jesse Rorie
Member
ok so givin all these examples if I wanted to get a few of everything how many would I get of each?
flower
Well-Known Member
Yep, what Bang Guy said, and add a couple of peppermint shrimp... they will eat any aptasia that may crop up, and they do a great job cleaning uneaten wasted food. I also have at least 1 brittle or serpent star...just because they are the coolest CUC critter I have found, you won't see them much...but when you do, it's a treat to watch them move.
immortality44
New Member
do you need sand in your tank, or a light in order to have a clean up crew? I only have fish and no sand yet, but thanks to flower I will have soon.
flower
Well-Known Member
Hi,
The clean up crew has to have something to eat, and without light, live rock, fish and sand... there will be no algae or wasted food for the clean up crew to "clean up". The algae needs light to grow, so you do at least need some light. be patient... soon you will have all the algae and wasted food you can stand in no time at all.
The clean up crew has to have something to eat, and without light, live rock, fish and sand... there will be no algae or wasted food for the clean up crew to "clean up". The algae needs light to grow, so you do at least need some light. be patient... soon you will have all the algae and wasted food you can stand in no time at all.