Article/Post Idea

[scubasteve]

I had an idea for some of the experts here to maybe come up with an article/post that would describe the different type of cleanup crews for fish tanks, ie what type of snails/crabs are best for which types of issues, and which types of snails can move across sand/gravel, which ones only are on rocks. I know when looking at liveaquaria or other sites theres so many different types of snails/ hermits it becomes kind of overwhelming

Also,maybe how many of each for a certain size tank?

 

[reefrunner69]

This sounds good, just need someone willing to put in the work.

 

[scubasteve]

i'd do it but i dont have enough experience/knowledge in the hobby to do it, maybe next week i'll gather some information from the internet to at least throw togethe ra rough faq

 

[quarryshark]

I think that would be great! Go for it!!

 

[swissfish]

yep, hope you'll get some help from the pros

 

[rayjay]

I'm not an expert at anything, but after 11 yrs in the hobby as of this month, and having 7 systems totaling 850g plus sumps, I find it odd to see posts about clean up crews, as though they are a needed part of the hobby.
It wouldn't be so bad if one only had them because they liked them, but some seem to think they are a necessity in their systems.
Over the years, I've had my share of algae problems, but, after fixing the cause, the algae went away.
I did buy a few hermits and snails when I first started, but the snails died, and the hermits seem to kill one another off, so I never got any more.
I notice at the fish stores, how many shells line the bottom of the tanks. It doesn't take long to start seeing them die off after a store gets a new shipment.
Numerous posts on many boards seem to indicate that this is a common problem with the hobby, yet people keep buying them.
I realize that there are hobbyists who keep them and don't have this problem so I assume the problem may lie with source or shipping and handling.
In view of the large fatalities of snails and hermits, why wouldn't one just fix the problem instead of trying to rely on something that many times dosen't have longevity?
I guess the closest things I have to be considered "cleanup crew" would be my cleaner and blood shrimps, and my serpent star fish.

 

[reefrunner69]

No offense rayjay, but you have alot more room for error than the average reefer today. From looking at your website, you run 8 40W bulbs on a 90g tank. That is only 320w, when I was running flo bulbs on a 90g I had 440w of vho, and found it much easier to keep the algae in check than when I started using halides. I run a 250W halide and 2X 32W CF bulbs on a 20g tank. The intensity of my lights is probably triple yours, even the slightest bit off in water chemistry and I have an algae bloom. Even so, I found it quite easy to keep everything but bubble algae in check wih nothing but a few snails, until the tank crashed after the hurricaines.

 

[rayjay]

I'm with you on that bubble crap. Ten years without and now a plague.
With regards to lighting, it's the nutrient that counts. All the light in the world won't produce algae without sufficient nutrient.
The increased lighting only intensifies the problem.
When I tracked my 1000w metal halide over the two 90's I still didn't have an algae problem, but even acclimating the tanks to the increased light over about 3 months, didn't keep LPS corals from bleaching. I couldn't afford the hydro anyway.
Still have the light, a product of my hydroponic days.