Shrimp and snails and crabs

[brndfrb]

I have a 65 gallon tank and right now i have 30 pounds of live rock and 5 damsels in it. When should i get snails and crabs and shrimp. Also what kinds of each should i get and how many. Thansk

 

[steve-s]

How old is the tank and whaat are your water parameters? Once the NH3 and NO2 levels are zero and the nitrates are lowering, then would be the time to get a "crew" started. Make sure they are properly >>acclimated<< via the "drip" method.

Here are some you could look at:

Nassarius great for detritus and the sand bed.
Nerite especially good at film algaes..
Cerith cleans both the glass and the sand bed..
Bumblebees cleans up the uneaten food bits as well as detritus.
Margarita another excellent algae eater..

How many of each would really depend on the amount or detritus and algae that needs controlling. You do not want the animal load to exceed the natural food source. For now I would start with 20-30 mixed snails and see how that does for your tank.

Cheers
Steve