Cleanup crew question

[mr_X]

a discussion started debating the importance of a cleanup crew, and i wanted to hear the popular vote on the issue.

i have about 25 snails, tops, in my 200 gallon tank. i don't want any more than that really. i also have some other creatures, but they aren't so much for cleanup, but mainly to look at (3 emerald crabs, a couple porcelain crabs, arrow crab, 4 cleaner shrimp, 1 fire shrimp, 1 peppermint(i haven't seen him in a while...he might have been someone's dinner).

some are saying they have hundreds of snails and hermits in tanks half the size or smaller than mine. they are recommending new people to make purchases of hundreds of dollars for these packaged cleanup crews that i believe are a huge waste, not to mention the increased bio load.

the CUC packages include nassarius snails, tiger tail cucumbers, sand sifter stars and serpent stars as well, which is also puzzling to me, because i have never seen a nass snail or serpent star eat algae.

is my tank a weird oddity, that i don't have/need a zillion snails and hermit crabs keeping algae at bay?

does anyone else think those clean-up crew packages are a waste of money, and a large addition to your bio load?

 

[metalac]

yeah those packages are INSANE. I had a huge algae problem on 55 and I got 6 snails and and a blenny and they took care of it. They seem pretty happy now. I have NO algae, and they're constantly roaming around picking stuff up. If I was going to go with the package deal I'd have over 25 snails in my tank and that would be just plain crazy.

 

[mr_X]

25 snails you can hide...but hundreds of snails 8O
plus...how about 40 hermits 8O
one guy told me (he has a 50 gallon tank) he makes a major cleanup crew purchase about once a year, and has HUNDREDS of snails/hermits.

 

[metalac]

well he's obviously making a SONE (Snails only nothing else) tank

 

[Anonymous]

Those are all detritus eaters. They will process some of the waste further then from when it comes out of the fish.

I agree that people put way to many snails and stuff in there tank. I have less than 20 total snails and not all eat algae. I probably could use a few more, not to the levels that most reccomend.

 

[mr_X]

Those are all detritus eaters. They will process some of the waste further then from when it comes out of the fish.
.

sure, but these creatures are recommended for new tanks. not established tanks with a bunch of pooping tangs.

 

[Brian5000]

I've tried the cleaner overload, and I don't see any difference other than I have fewer empty snail shells now that I don't do that.
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Honda CHF50P

 

[metalac]

I've tried the cleaner overload, and I don't see any difference other than I have fewer empty snail shells now that I don't do that.

This pretty much sums it up. At one point there will be so little algae growing that there would be a MAJOR food shortage in the tank, what do you do with snails then, can you say escargot