How many snails and crabs to get?

[fishin]

This is my first time posting I have been reading the forums for the past month. The forums are very helpful.

My tank is a 75 gallon oceanic, 30 gallon sump, protein skimmer, 50-75lbs. live rock, 2 power heads. The guy I bought it from said it was set up for 2 years their is 3 damsels and no snails or crabs just the 3 fish. The tank has been set up for a month when I moved the tank I kept all the water and did the whole tote thing.

My question is how many snails and crabs do I need? I found a kit at satwaterfish.com

30-90 gallon reef package
20 scarlet crabs
20 blue leg crabs
3 emerald crabs
20 turbo snails
10 Nassarius snails
1 coral banded shrimp
2 feather dusters

Is this overboard?

Thanks for the help

Chancy

 

[gilraen]

As far as I know cleaner packages contain the right amount of 'cleaners', especially if you have algae growing already, if not then it might be a little overboard.

 

[lando]

Welcome to AquariumAdvice.com!!!
That cleaner package is appropriate, just make sure all water parameters are okay before adding them.

 

[schoeplein]

Too many turbo snails. Two of them ate all the algae off my back glass in two days. They'll die rather abruptly after eating everything (as was the experience in a 150g tank). I'd drop 15 turbos for more nassarius but that's just me. Those turbos are huge in my 75g. Of course this is only a visual thing, if you're going to be dropping some in the 'fuge you could go with 10 (5 in tank, 5 in fuge.. cuz you should never have to clean the fuge).

 

[quarryshark]

Welcome to the forum. I would go lighter on the hermits and heavier on the snails, especially the Nassarius snails. You can always add more later.
What the heck to feather dusters and CBS have to do with cleanup....lol.
Do you have any LR?

 

[schoeplein]

Welcome to the forum. I would go lighter on the hermits and heavier on the snails, especially the Nassarius snails. You can always add more later.
What the heck to feather dusters and CBS have to do with cleanup....lol.
Do you have any LR?

Dont FD spawn like crazy and filter the water? (of course they dont spawn in my tank :x )

Yeah, I was going to say something about the CBS as well... should have been a cleaner shrimp.

Add a reef safe starfish and it'd be a pretty complete package.

 

[zacdl]

I have 2 snails and 2 hermits in my 30, and they are more than enough. They keep it clean.

 

[fishin]

I was going to get a cleaner shrimp as well. What I posted was part of their kit they sell for 90.00

I donut have much of a algae problem as of right now. Should I get the kit? and if not what should I get.

Thanks again
Chancy

 

[zacdl]

I would get maybe 5 snails and 5 hermits to start with.

Just go to your LFS and buy them. Either that or buy them seperate on the net.

The first day I had mine, the 2 hermits cleaned the entire sandbed in 2 hours...

 

[fishin]

Is their much difference between blue leg hermits and scarlet hermits besides color? What is the best snails to get as well? I was also wondering about fighting conchs (good or bad)? When getting feather dusters is it better to get the various or the colony?

How high should I run the water in my protein skimmer it is foaming really well. I got it set so the water is just at the bottom of the collection cup on top.

 

[zacdl]

They say the scarlets are better ones, they dont fight as much or something. I dont have blues.

I have regular turbo snails....


If your skimmer is foaming fine then it is doing its job.

 

[seaham358]

Start out small on the clean up crew if its a new tank with not much algae. They can starve if there is not enough food. 20 turbos thats alot IMO.. Feather dusters IMO should be kept in mature tanks the feed off the phytoplankton and really have little to do with cleaning it.
Get a varity of snails a few turbos, astraea,ceriths, nassarius. I have a mix of scarlet and blue leg hermits, just toss in some empty shells to help with the fighting.
Conch snails can get big real big.......

 

[fishin]

Thanks for the help starting a project like this makes a person have alot of questions.

 

[gooyferret]

I would recommend www.reeftopia.com Awesome prices on everything and have plenty of cleanup crew packages. I have had very good luck and thats the only place i will order snails and hermits from. Just give them a call and they can tell you what they would recommend. I have a 125gal tank with about 120lbs or more of LR. This is what i put in there for cleanup crew:
150 micro blueleg hermits
60 astrea snails
24 nassarius
36 cerith snails
2 emerald crabs
4 peppermint shrimp

I am planning on getting 100 more snails in about a month from them. The package i have now is taking care of all the algae in the entire tank. HTH

 

[seaham358]

My question is if the crew you have now is taking care of the algae why get 100 more? They will just end up starving