Cleaning crew recommendations ?

[Alexxn]

Cleaning crew recommendations ? *UPDATE*

For my 30 gal, 35 LBS Live Rock, some mushrooms, zoos, and a green star polyp....I'd like to have some Peppermint Shrimp and other critters that would get along....what would you recommend and how many ?

Thanks !!

 

[reefs4life]

I suggest you get 2 sea hares for any algae, 2 sea cucumbers for sand cleaning, 2 sand-sifting starfish, around around 30-50 blue hermits, 30-50 snails (any kind but make sure they are reef safe), 4 brittle/serpent starfish for detritus, any ornamental starfish which is good for algae (ex.: linckia or fromia species), a group of cleaner shrimp (3 or more, they go for about $15-20ea), and there are also fish that act as good cleaner like gobies (ex.: bullet, sleeper, rainford's), tangs (yellow, scopas, purple, kole, sailfin), and cleaner wrasse. Thats all I can think off the top of my head, you can mix and match whetever you want.

 

[Deanos]

In a 30g?

 

[Alexxn]

I suggest you get 2 sea hares for any algae, 2 sea cucumbers for sand cleaning, 2 sand-sifting starfish, around around 30-50 blue hermits, 30-50 snails (any kind but make sure they are reef safe), 4 brittle/serpent starfish for detritus, any ornamental starfish which is good for algae (ex.: linckia or fromia species), a group of cleaner shrimp (3 or more, they go for about $15-20ea), and there are also fish that act as good cleaner like gobies (ex.: bullet, sleeper, rainford's), tangs (yellow, scopas, purple, kole, sailfin), and cleaner wrasse. Thats all I can think off the top of my head, you can mix and match whetever you want.

I only have a 30 gal tank :Yikes:

 

[reefs4life]

you can mix and match whetever you want.

I didn't say you have to get every single thing I said, you don't have to get any if you dont want.

 

[crox99]

I thought you want to put all those critters in a 30g!!:bigeyes: :bigeyes:

 

[crox99]

Also I don't think you need all those snails!!! in a 30g there isn't enough algae for the snails and starfish.

 

[ellebelle]

I have a 29g tank, and here is my cleaning crew (snail numbers pre-hermitcrab-shell-jackings):

2 peppermints (for aiptasia)
2 emerald crabs (for bubble algae)
7 nassarius snails (sand sifters to clean my sand)
5 bumblebee snails (also sand sifters - lost at least two to hermit crabs)
20 astrea snails (clean rock and glass - I would advise investing in a good number of these - lost at least five to hermit crabs and an open intake on my powerhead. )
25 cerith snails (good detrius eaters - will eat fish poop and left over food - as a benefit, they seem to really tear through cyanobateria breaking it into small enough pieces that it's lifted into the flow and eventually skimmed out of my system)
15 TINY blue leg hermit crabs
1 scarlet reef hermit crab
3 enormous halloween hermit crabs

... and I think that's it!

 

[ellebelle]

As a side note, 30g is really too small for a yellow tang and cleaner wrasses can be difficult to keep.

 

[basiab]

Start slow just as you should with fish. Depending on how old your tank is there may not be enough there to support 20 snails. Forget about sand sifting stars unless you want to watch them starve. Try a few types of snails, those that eat algae and those that eat detritus. In my opinion any kind of crab can be a problem. As mentioned in another response, the hermits will kill your snails so why bother getting them unless you really like to watch them and are willing to lose snails to them. Even algea eating crabs are opportunists and may eat fleshy things like fish, snails or coral. So keep away from crabs unless you feel you must have them. There are also mini stars that also eat detritus and they will not harm anything. Buy what you need rather than go for 'cleaner packages' unless you find a package meeting your needs. Pepermint shrimp are interesting and are also good cleaners but if you decide on hermits be aware that they will eat hermits when the hermit molts.

 

[ellebelle]

As far as I can tell, my peppermint shrimp haven't eaten any of my hermit crabs. I agree that crabs (like emerald crabs) can be risky, but I have bubble algae so for me it is worth the risk.

 

[Alexxn]

So I picked up a combination of blue hermits, scarlet hermits, peppermint shrimp, nassarius snails, red banded trochus snails,pyramid trochus snails, 2 fighting conchs, and 2 tiny emerald crabs (I have bubble algae)

My question is since I have no fish for the next 2 weeks should I be feeding any of these guys ? I have some frozen brine shrimp cubes, I could always throw a small piece of that in everyday....suggestions ??

 

[digitalreefer]

I would avoid using brine shrimp cubes altogether. Adult brine have very little nutritional value. Get some mysis cubes instead. If you do use the cubes, (mysis or brine) make sure you defrost and rinse them before using them so as not to gunk up your water. If you're worried about the cleanup crew, try a few pellets here and there and make sure your skimmer is running.