clean up crew suggestions

[uhuru]

Hey guys,

 

What kind of CUC would you recommend for my 5 gal. tank? I've read that snails and hermits together won't work because the hermits will kill the snails for their shells. I like sexy shrimp, some of the cleaner shrimps, pom-pom crabs, porcelain crabs, and emerald crabs. I'm looking for specimens that would clean algae and detritus of course BUT I've gone with a bare bottom tank so I'm not sure which species need sand. Also with such a small tank they need to be peaceful and stay relatively small. I was thinking of adding some to the fuge as well which is also bare bottom with LR and chaeto.

 

Thanks!

[impur]

Well thats a tiny tank so you won't need a large crew! I would go with a couple astrea snails, and a couple nerite snails to handle algae and diatoms. Cerith snails do a great job on detrius, i'd get a couple of those as well. 2 hermits should do a good job on detrius and thicker algaes. To keep the hermits from attacking the snails just toss in a handful of empty shells. Thats the only reason they go on their rampage, they want a larger home! (laugh)

 

Sexy shrimp would be one of my choices, and a pom-pom crab.

[uhuru]

that sounds great. thanks!

[Nyles]

I agree, maybe 2 of each and see how it goes.

[Kevinmc]

Hey Guy's

 

I am just getting ready to add more to my clean-up crew and I have been reading, and hear that some inverts do not go well together.

 

Can you tell me if snails of all types and sizes will be okay with very small blue leg hermit crab? I am planning to add empty shells in my display tank as a place for them to hang out. The blue leg hermit crab are about the size of maybe half of your little finger nail.

 

I was thinking of putting two in my refugium with the snails, and the other 20 or so in my 90 GAL. display tank. I just wanted to check before I did it.

 

Thanks

 

Kevin

[mister crabs]

I tend to avoid red-leg hermits since my last had them and the y got big and ate all the other snails, blue legs, a red starfish, and even a condy anenome. my blue legs i have now and all my snails are peaceful. Once in a while my blue legs will kill one another for a shell but hasnt happened often. snails will all be fine although i have heard there are types such as the margarita snails that arent meant for our tank temps and will slowly cook to death.

As for #'s, I have about 8 -10 blue legs in my display with about 15 assorted snails. and this is in a 29g biocube.

 

HTH, John

[TNoel]

If you buy an assortment of crabs look out for fast one with a large left claw. I got one that raced around the tank, I called him turbo. I thought he was pretty cool until he started eating my snails. It got large enough to fill a turbo snail shell. I got rid of him after eating 3 turbos and numerous others.

[defigart]

One thing to think about is getting different kinds of hermits to do different jobs. For example, dwarf reds stay small, and prefer cyanobacteria. Bluelegs, stay fairly small, and prefer green algaes. Zebra Hermits, have a large claw for digging in the sand, and also will eat cyanobacteria, but not there perferred food. Orange Hermits, (aka Electric Orange) perfer food not eaten by your fish.

 

If you want them to leave your snails alone, put a few different size empty shells in the tank. You can even hide them behind live rock and such so you don't have to see them.