How do crabs, shrimp, starfish, etc. play into # of fish?

[YourPalCM]

I have kept three freshwater tanks for a number of years. I'm finally going to take the plunge into Saltwater...

I'll be setting up a 75 gallon aquarium. I've seen all of the varying advice in stocking an aquarium. (1/2" per gallon, 1 fish per 10 gallons, etc.)

But what about crabs, shrimp, starfish, urchins, etc. How do they affect the stocking of your fish? If I've stocked the tank with what is the "appropriate" amount of fish, how does that then affect how I stock my tank with shrimp, starfish, urchins and/or crabs???

 

[ntswift]

Clean up crew doesnt go into the account of the "fish per gallon" rule. Make sure you have enough snails, crabs and such to do the job in your tank for clean up. Liveaquaria.com and various sites have pre-made clean-up crews to give you an idea on what to get.

 

[roka64]

I agree, the clean up crew doesn't go against you bio-load. Those clean up crew "kits" are not really designed for a new tank many of them might starve, due to the lack of food in newer tanks. I would use their "kit" as a general idea of the diversity of critters, and go with maybe half or a little more than they recommend. You can always add more later.

 

[YourPalCM]

Clean up crew doesnt go into the account of the "fish per gallon" rule. Make sure you have enough snails, crabs and such to do the job in your tank for clean up. Liveaquaria.com and various sites have pre-made clean-up crews to give you an idea on what to get.

Awesome. Thanks, that helps.

 

[flamingonhot]

You can't overstock your tank with inverts, unless you cram them in. Inverts have a very small metabolism compared to fish and don't produce that much waste material. Some things like clams actually absorb it from the water (nitrates, ammonia, detritus, etc.).

 

[YourPalCM]

You can't overstock your tank with inverts, unless you cram them in. Inverts have a very small metabolism compared to fish and don't produce that much waste material. Some things like clams actually absorb it from the water (nitrates, ammonia, detritus, etc.).

Do you guys have a good suggestion on about how many inverts to start with for a 75g tank? Obviously that's a tough question to answer without specifying which inverts I'm talking about, but can that general question be answered?

 

[mnestroy]

I have a 40 Gallon Breeder and I have about 30 tiny hermit crabs, and about 10 snails (mexican turbo snails do very good on the glass)...

If you go sand, a stand sifting goolby does wonders for keeping the sand clean...

My problem is I dont know if I have to many creators.. so sometimes I put some extra food just for them...

I also got a Brittal Star.... he hides 95% of the time, hes been alive for 8months, but I got no clue what he eats