Need help with cleanup crew!

[pkremer]

Hi there! Some of you may be familiar with my set up, but just in case:

46-gallon bowfront aquarium
60 pounds aragonite sand (3")
60 pounds Lalo Live Rock
No fish or invertebrates yet (my coral beauty is in QT).

The tank has cycled, and I am starting to get the normal brown diatom algae that always signals the first cycle of a new tank (it doesn't look good, but what can you do?). I think it is time I introduced some kind of a cleanup crew. I have been looking at this one (the 30-gallon deluxe):

http://www.etropicals.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=45&pCatId=1766

This is a great deal for all these guys, and I'm sure eventually I may need them, but I'm afraid adding them all at once may not be a good idea. What kind of cleanup crew would you recommend? And what is a good specific gravity for crabs and snails? I have been keeping mine at about 1.021...is this acceptable?

Paul

 

[austinsdad]

I'd do 5 scarlets hermits, 1 electric blue, and maybe a handfull of astreas for now. The nassarius may starve qwikly since there may not be much in the sand yet, but they are nice "workers" for the sand bed when the time comes. Gonne have to feed those crabs depending on what kind of rock u have. Didja cycle with rock? If so, the crabs can probably find stuff to eat. When does the angel move in?

Got a place nearby to get just a few or are you relying on mail order for your crew? If so, I'd imagine it'd be hard to get just a few crabs and snail, huh? Then, you might have to wait to get the fish in and develop more feeding opportunities for a larger crew as the tank matures a bit more. I've always kept my gravity at 1.021 without problems (that I know of).

 

[pkremer]

The angel will hopefully move in about 3 weeks from today. He is recovering from ich (he has been in QT the whole time), and I am giving him a few more weeks to make sure the ich is dead.

I do have a place locally to get a few hermits, but they are very expensive. The reason I was going to do this package online is because they have organisms in the packages I want but cannot get locally. I DID cycle with rock, yes, 60 pounds of Lalo Live Rock.

I have shrimp pellets and algae chips if I need to supplement their diets...

Paul

 

[austinsdad]

The I'd give it a shot.

 

[pkremer]

How will I know if I should supplement their diets? Will there be activity that will tell me they are hungry and not finding food?

Paul

 

[austinsdad]

Not anything as a real good indicator that I know of. Might have to play that one by ear. 40 hermits and 30 snails, 10 of'm sand dwellers in that pkg. Some won't make it possibly, but it's worth a try for the sake of saving you some money. Maybe tie a few small pieces of seaweed down w/rubber bands to some rocks, but don't let it stay in there too long and becomed decayed food if they let it sit to long. I guess I'd drop a few sinking pellets in a couple times a weeks for the crabs.