clean up crew and diatom blooms

[cooksalot]

i'm starting to research clean up crews and i'm getting confused by all the choices and recommendations on how many...seems like everywhere i look i get conflicting info.

here is what i am thinking, although this is just a first thought list and i'm open to any suggestions.

i have a 24G AP

8-10 scarlett hermits
1 emerald mythrax crab
10 astrea snails
5 nassarius snails
5 cerith snails
1 cleaner shrimp
1 fire shrimp

is this too much, too little? also, i see than many of the stores offer CUC packages (and to me it seems like they have way more than i'd need for what they offer for my size tank). does this mean you are supposed to add them all at once? or do you add them gradually? do you tailor you CUC to what you eventually want down the line in terms of fish? i really have no clue what i'll end up with when that time comes, but i do know i want a false clown and a banggai cardinal.

i also tried searching for pictures of a diatom bloom since i think i may be seeing the beginnings of it, but it's really hard for me to tell by what i'm pulling up. does anyone have any clear pics of these blooms in their tanks?

 

[House of Laughter]

With that amound of sand I would increase the nassarius and ceriths nass 15 and ceriths 10.

Otherwise, it looks good.

House

 

[nycitaliano9]

I just picked up a clean up crew for my 38 gallon at H20
12 snails
6 Hermit

They told me i dont need more then this.

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

I would add more nassaurius snails-they help to clean the sand better.

I will also add one more cleaner shrimp.

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

A clear pic of diatom you requested.

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

Previous pic is just to tease you, i think you want this one.

The purple, yellow, brownish patch is the diatom.

 

[cooksalot]

thanks for the pictures...and yes, the first one confused me for a second lol. there is much more brown dust on my sand today...definitely a diatom bloom. it's not on my glass though...does it always go up on the glass?

thanks for all the advice on the CUC too...haven't tested today yet, but as of yesterday everything was perfect except the nitrates, which are holding steady at 10...i need these to get to 0 before i add anything, right?

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

The first pic is really CLEAR PIC of DIATOM. It's under 250px microscope HAHAHA

They go aon anywhere, especiallyw here flow is limited and reefers usually call those dead spots.

To have "0" nitrate before adding anything depends on what you keep. Fish is fine with nitrate.

 

[cooksalot]

The first pic is really CLEAR PIC of DIATOM. It's under 250px microscope HAHAHA

They go aon anywhere, especiallyw here flow is limited and reefers usually call those dead spots.

To have "0" nitrate before adding anything depends on what you keep. Fish is fine with nitrate.

once i am finished cycling i was planning on adding CUC, then coral, then fish

 

[reefman]

heres a pic of my cucumber eating diatom algea off my sand

 

[Tonyscoots84]

once i am finished cycling i was planning on adding CUC, then coral, then fish

my list would look like this...

fish, inverts and then corals...

 

[cooksalot]

my list would look like this...

fish, inverts and then corals...

ok, now i'm confused...you would add fish first? and when you say inverts second, do you mean non-CUC inverts? Can you (or anyone) let me know in what order you stocked your tank and why you did it that way? from what i've been seeing here i was under the impression that i would add the CUC first then the coral then fish last. thanks!

 

[cooksalot]

reefman -- cool pic of your cucumber. is that spike? or am i thinking of someone else's cucumer that looks like that.

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

I added fish and inverts together the Clean up crew will benefit from the fish cause then they have someone to clean up after :biggrin:

 

[cooksalot]

I added fish and inverts together the Clean up crew will benefit from the fish cause then they have someone to clean up after :biggrin:

oh, wow...well then i guess i have a lot more researching to do before getting my CUC! so far i'm thinking about two false percs (the standard orange and white ocellaris and a B&W), a banggai cardinal and maybe one more. will this work? do i add them all at once or stagger them? any advice on a fourth hardy, peaceful fish that would cohabitate well with the ohters?

 

[digitalreefer]

A neon goby or something similar may work well.

 

[ellebelle]

Also, clownfish can be pretty aggressive - supposedly the false percs are supposed to be the nicer ones of the genus, but I know that bad coffee has had some trouble with them hurting firefish. You might want to wait until the end to add those guys.

 

[reefman]

reefman -- cool pic of your cucumber. is that spike? or am i thinking of someone else's cucumer that looks like that.

i think the spikes on its body is to warn off predators. nothing bothers it anyway cause i think it taste bad.

 

[cooksalot]

thanks again for all the advice. when i tested my water yesterday everything looked great and nitrate was down to <5. I decided to go by my lfs to have them test the water just to double check that i was doing it right, no faulty test kits, etc. they got the same readings i did, and when i told him i haven't had a trace of ammonia since monday he said i could try to add something to the tank. i was a little hesitant, but figured i'd try. after a lot of discussion i got two pacific nassarius snails and two orange cats eye snails to start my CUC. small, i know, but i didn't want to add too much, and he suggested i wait anyway until their next shipment of hermit crabs arrives as the pickings were slim. i hadn't read much on the orange cats eyes, but he told me they would do a good job on my algae and i really liked the way the orange shell looked.

we also talked about types of fish, and i asked his opinion on the orange perc with a b&w perc. he said i could do what i want, but he wasn't too crazy about the idea, especially for a newbie. he said he wouldn't put more than three fish in my tank total, and that i should probably stick with one clown. we then talked about corals and he showed me a new shipment that just came in for their nano coral stock. not sure if i made a mistake here, but i wound up bringing home an atlantic mushroom super color. he said it was about the hardiest one they had and was very easy to care for.

so home i came, acclimated them all, and put them in my tank. the two nassarius dove under the sand and i haven't seen them since. the orange cats eyes are like two little lawn mowers...they haven't stopped and are going to town on the algae. and the coral looks good...not really sure what i'm looking for. it shriveled up a bit when i first put it in, then scooched itself over a little, and is now wide open.

hopefully my water parameters will stay stable. pics of all of these are in my tank thread below.

oh, btw, the lfs i am referring to here is aquarium adventure. normally i am a little cautious in there because their prices are high and certain employees are pushy (although i'm learning to deal with jared or have the person i am dealing with double check everything with jared). anyway, i have to say, i was very happy yesterday. probably a combo of me finally sounding like i know what i am talking about and asking all the right questions. and to top it off, they are having a 40% off sale on all livestock until january 1. i wound up getting the two nassarius, two orange cat's eyes and mushroom coral all for $24.

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

Congrats.

The Nas snail will come out when you feed meaty food in the future for fish. They have very good sense of smell.

yeah, I agree to add the more agressive fish last. A clown sometimes could get aggressive. As stated by others, the false perca is the less aggressive in the clown family.