Is this too many cleaners?

[crazyzeus1]

Our 100gal tank is about 9 months old, and most of our clean up crew from when we started has met their maker We do have a few things like our original 1 Peppermint Shrim, 1 Coral Banded Shrimp, 2 Cleaner Shrimp, and a handful of Mexican Turbo snails, some hermits (not many), and some Emerald crabs, but I don't know how many (maybe 4?). Oh yea, and 2 brittle starts who have grown HUGE!
I can tell we need more clean-up crew, because our tank seems to be getting dirtier quicker, and it just clicked that most of our clean up crew is no longer working!
Or water quality is excellent, and we have only lost 1 fish in the 9 months (it was an internet order fish, and I don't think it survived the shipping very well because it died the same day we got it).
Anyway--do you think it's too much to order the Reef Pkg. from this site with 100 turbo/astrea snails, and 100 blue leg hermits?

 

[emmitt]

I'd say that is too much, half of that would be better, maybe even a 1/4 of that

 

[crazyzeus1]

Originally Posted by emmitt
I'd say that is too much, half of that would be better, maybe even a 1/4 of that

GRRREAT! Thanks for the advice. I couldn't remember what we started the tank with. Does it matter how many fish you have in the tank when taking into consideration the clean up crew numbers? I mean, as far as cleaning up after the fish...
We have:
1 Foxface
4 Green Chromis
2 clown fish (yes, I know, not the technical name...I've drawn a blank)
1 Clown Gobie
1 Pshycadellic Mandarin
1 Pseudochromis
Anyway--wasn't sure if the fish population made a difference in the clean up crew numbers....
Thanks again for the advice!

 

[emmitt]

Originally Posted by crazyzeus1
GRRREAT! Thanks for the advice. I couldn't remember what we started the tank with. Does it matter how many fish you have in the tank when taking into consideration the clean up crew numbers? I mean, as far as cleaning up after the fish...
We have:
1 Foxface
4 Green Chromis
2 clown fish (yes, I know, not the technical name...I've drawn a blank)
1 Clown Gobie
1 Pshycadellic Mandarin
1 Pseudochromis
Anyway--wasn't sure if the fish population made a difference in the clean up crew numbers....
Thanks again for the advice!
I'd say the amount of Live rock is more important. How much lr do you have?

 

[crazyzeus1]

Originally Posted by emmitt
I'd say the amount of Live rock is more important. How much lr do you have?
We have 130lb of liverock that we starte with, plus a few chunks that came attached to corals, so probably about 140lb now.

 

[stokedhawk]

I just received one of the reef packages from this site and the only thing that is bothersome is that the new red legged hermit crabs seem more interested in eating the new snails. I've probably lost 5 -10 snails since Friday.

 

[anonome]

Hermits will definately eat small snails. I bought 60 nassarius snails a while back, I bet I only have 25 now. But don't my hermits look nice with their new nassarius shells!

And they had plenty of empty shells to choose from without killing the snails. In my opinion, the snails are better cleaners anyway.

 

[miamireefr]

Well enjoy because I had bought 3 queen conches last week and now I only have 2 left with the last one being owned by a blue leg hermit that can barely move with it..... I was pissed and really wanted to yank him and crush his @rse but thats nature.

 

[stokedhawk]

I just saw one of my conchs with a red leg hermit in it. That conch cost me 10 bucks!!! and that crab was eating away on some of our new snails. definitely agree that snails are better at cleaning the algae too