clean up crew added

[paulweck]

ok so it been about 3 days since my tank finished cycling. so i went to the lfs and bought one cleaner shrimp, 12 turbo snails and 12 red tipped hermit crabs. is this all good enough for my 45 gallon bow front?

also i have a yellowtail damselfish. that the lfs talked me in too getting 2 days ago. now that he is in the tank i was wondering if there is a chance that he can get along with my other future fish i buy like a pair of clowns and maybe a blennie or two. and a few wrasses.

will i see problems keeping the damsel in the tank? hes kinda starting to grow on me i named him rocky lol

 

[T.J.]

Damsels are aggressive in their adult stages. I would say to add them last or better not at all. A bluegreen chromis is a better fish and they are friendly. With chromis keep them in odd number schools. Especially if it a peaceful reef tank damsel isn't one I would recommend.

 

[T.J.]

Also watch the wrasses only a few are reef safe.

 

[joy13]

Since clowns are a damsel there is a chance they will get along. The wrasse probably not the blenny maybe. Since you already know what you want to put in your tank the LFS advice wasn't the best.

I know what you mean about liking a damsel, I have a blue devil that I can't seem to get rid of.

 

[paulweck]

i know well hes just so cool looking and im in the process of seting up a 15 gallon tall and will put him in there when its all done cycling. i kinda changed my mind and will be buying a coral beauty and a royal gamma today and see if they can get along untill 1. i get the other tank cycled and 2. when i can catch him lol sneak lil fish.... now both fish i have on hold at my lfs are bigger then my damsel so i wonder if everything will be ok? i cant wait to get them home.

 

[mr_X]

there are many reef safe wrasses-
Wrasse Fish for Sale: Cleaner Wrasse and other Reef Safe Wrasse Species

i have seen small damsels torture fish 5 times their size to death. i've also had a coral beauty that killed off anything else i put in the tank (75 gallon). it's all a crap shoot.

 

[paulweck]

thanks for the info mr x. i see your in paoli im in delco aswell was wondering if u belong to a local aquarium club i could join?

 

[mr_X]

there are a couple in the area. i'll pm you details.

 

[paulweck]

thanks mr x i really appreciate all the info

 

[paulweck]

how about my cuc is one cleaner shrimp, 12 turbo snails and 12 hermit crabs good enough for a 45 gallon tank

 

[T.J.]

Sounds good so far. CUC is always a wonderful thing. IMO you can never have to much.

 

[mr_X]

actually, you can have too much. there has to be enough food to sustain whatever livestock you add to the tank. the truth is, you don't need any "cleanup crew", if there is such a thing.
IME, adding more eating, pooping creatures to a tank to "clean up" excess nutrients is a mistake.
add these things because you want diversity, and because you like to look at them, but don't kid yourself into thinking they are necessary.

 

[paulweck]

thanks for the info guys. i do injoy looking at my snails, my better half and my money tracker (i.e my fiance) not so much. i mainly added them with the thought i needed them to help with unwanted algae and uneaten food. i mean having 4 out of 12 snails on the front glass at most times isnt the best thing to look at but i understand there cleaning the glass. the hermits i dont notice at all. but do i sure love watching my cleaner shrimp cleaning out the mouth of my coral beauty i cant believe she lets him do that but whatever. so i think when my 20 gallon fowlr is done cycling i think i will throw 6 of the snail in that tank to kinda keep them off the glass so much

 

[T.J.]

Be cautious with some fish and inverts. In a 20g I don't see large aggressive fish but even some smaller fish only type fish will eat inverts. Just research. I have a large FOWLR tank and I am lucky a few of my inverts have lived.

 

[paulweck]

the 20 gallon tank will just be a peaceful fowlr no inverts unless u consider a snail a invert(witch some do) witch i dont see having a problem in a 20 tank but i could be wrong

 

[T.J.]

Snails can be eaten. That's what I was getting to. But what kind of fish do you plan to have.

 

[paulweck]

i was thinking of another mated pair of clowns and a few nano gobys its for my game room so it wont be much

 

[T.J.]

Peaceful fish with personality. They wont bother snails.

 

[paulweck]

the more and more i think about i kinda wanna just put a pair of sea horses . does anybody have any experience with them?

 

[mr_X]

they require hand feeding and cooler water than a reef. >75 degrees. difficult to keep unless you purchase certain tank raised specimens. the wild ones seem to succumb to a host of diseases. not the best choice just starting out IMO.