How many snails and crabs?

[JMB]

I'm cycling a new 65 gallon tank and have been reading posts that seem to indicate people put large numbers of snails and crabs in their tanks. I am only 1.5 weeks into the cycle process but I was wondering how many of these critters I will need when the time comes? I'm using live sand, cured live base rock and wet/dry filter system. Will be adding a protein skimmer in a couple of weeks.

 

[steve-s]

The loose guideline is one cleaning animal for every 1½-2 gal of tank. That would be for a more mature tank though so for a newly cycled 65 gal, I would start with about 15-20 for now. It's best to start low and build as the waste producing bio load grows. As you already stated though, be sure the NH3 and NO2 are zero before doing so. Also be sure the nitrates are at a reasonable level....

FWIW, crabs are not as necessary as some think. They can be a benefit but depending on the type of tank and potential nuisance algaes, a good mixture of different snail species will accomplish the same goal.

Cheers
Steve