Which cleaner guy does what... and how many?

[gksipps]

There seems to be a group of supporters that say not to buy a package of cleanup crew. I saw a reply (from Leigh) to another posting that recommended only buying what you need to clean up specific problems... but is there a BASIC of what to start with for cleanup crews? I have 90 g, LR, LS Reef, and have acquired some of my cleanup crew as stowaways on LR... including:
3 brittle sea stars
miniature sand sifting star (1/4 inch). I also have
2 mexican turbo snails (about 1 inch big - huge compared to my other snails),
4 nassarius snails,
4 blue leg hermits,
sand sifting star (3 inches)...
I have shied away from buying a package only because I think it would cause a huge spike in the system, oh and truth be known because it seems like a TON of critters (do you really need 150 critters for my size tank???). However, at this time, there appears to be a section of sand that nobody wants to clean! The Mexicans do a great job on the glass, but I need more work on the sand, and I also want to PREVENT hair algae and other "bad" algae from growing, rather than wait until it appears. But then I think if I add critters to the tank to prevent the growth of certain algaes then the particular critter would starve to death due to lack of food (I am specifically thinking lettuce nudibrance for hair algae).
What else do I need (and how many) to a) prevent and b) clean rather than wait for problems to appear?

 

[gksipps]

I should probably add that my tank has been up since early February, and the only inhabitants are anemones, a clown, yellow watchman, regal tang, and scooter blennie.
Thanks!
Karen

 

[sinner's girl]

" it would cause a huge spike in the system, "
no it wouldn't. inverts don't add to the bioload. we added a package to the 55gl 2 years ago and had no problem at all (added stars, hermits, shrimp, snails, crab)

 

[offshore80]

2 months ago I added 50 small hermits, 3 Emerald crabs, a fiddler crab, 2 cleaner shrimp, 1 fire shrimp, 1- 5 inch brittle star, 1 purple lobster, 25 turbo snails and no spike. Everything seems to be doing OK. The tank is clean a whistle. I love inverts. I spot feed the Emeralds seaweed sheet chunks and they love it. I would go for it.

 

[michaeltx]

no it wouldn't. inverts don't add to the bioload
they do but its not a big enough bioload to worry about everything that you add that is alive adds to the bioload. even corals.
but dont worry about how many and all that get what you need fopr your tank. prevention goes a long way in this hobby so get things in anticipation of things that come up such as cyno, film algaes, and hair algae but get things that will survive on other things not just the main things the will help with.
Mike

 

[wrassecal]

I don't go for the big packages either. I think you need to have a dozen each of cerith for those areas in the rock that the bigger snails can't get to and nassarius for the cleaning the sand bed and keeping the upper layer shifted. Also, mabe 3 or so astreas to go with your turbos. See how that set-up works for a while and add as needed. I also consider my cleaner shrimp and sand bed critters (asterinas, pods, worms) essential to my cleanup crew.

 

[nacl-man]

Originally posted by Wrassecal
I also consider my cleaner shrimp and sand bed critters (asterinas, pods, worms) essential to my cleanup crew.
That is commonly overlooked. After all there has to be a reason LS costs so much right?

 

[wrassecal]

inverts don't add to the bioload much unless you have a mass die off due to overstocking.