Build your own on e-tropicals.com

[Joshsmit56001]

I was looking at the BYO package on e-tropicals.com and I was wondering what all i should go with. this is what I was thinking:

15 bumblebee snails
20 astrea snails
3 peppermint shrimp
1 serpent sea star
2 emerald crabs
10 nassarious snails

i have a 30 gallon tank right now.

i have heard bad stuff about hermit crabs so I was not sure if I should go with them. i am open to suggestions. any help would be great.

thanks,
Josh

[biotoxin]

thats 45 snails and that seems like a lot. If i were you id just go with the nassarius and astrea, that way you have you sandbed and lr covered. The rest sounds ok. And yes, hermits are known to kill snails.

[reefrunner69]

Rather than astreas...I'd get trochus snails and ceriths ans well as the nassarius, and ditch the bumblebees.

[ReefLady]

I'd agree with Kevin. Trochus, though somewhat more pricey, are much harder workers, and are able to "right" themselves if tipped onto their backs. Astreas cannot.

I'd actually look for more of a "mix" - smaller numbers of each, but trochus, margarita, nerite, cerith, nassarius ... etec.

I also would not do the Emerald Crabs unless you have a Valonia (bubble algae) problem.

I'd consider 2 Peppermints, and possibly 2 Cleaners.

Also, fwiw, check out ReefTopia.com. I've always found good prices there, and have had very good experiences with them.

HTH,