need help on the crab and snail deal

[hotskate]

OKay well i have this tank cycling since the 11th of oct i have some brownish allege on the sand bed and some on the rocks oh and some bristle worms and like thousands of bugs lol thats what they look like i forgot what they are called i went to my lfs and called dliveaquari.com they said to add snails and crabs can also help finish off the cycling what do you think how many and what kinds????????? i have a 90 gal

 

[Biggen]

The brownish algae is probably either cyano or diatoms. Are there bubbles trapped under the algae? If not, than you have diatoms which is completely normal. I am still battling them myself. They will go away on their own with time but you can add a clean-up crew to get rid of them as well. Turbos love that stuff.

Don't remember the rule for adding snails and crabs. I think it is around 1 for every 5 gallons or so. Hopefully someone else with a better memory will have an answer for you.

Oh BTW, don't put any inverts in until the tank is completely cycled. Ammonia and Nitrite will kill crabs and snails with ease.

 

[hotskate]

all my levels are fairly lowww

 

[Biggen]

all my levels are fairly lowww

Wait till they are zero. Why chance the lives of the crabs and snails, not to mention your money?

You just started your tank a little over 2 weeks ago. patience my friend...

Again, the diatom bloom is normal and will fade over time. They are feeding off excess silicate and nitrate in the water. Once the limiting nutrient is used up (silicate) they will die off.

I actually believe that diatoms are a good thing as long as they don't cover everything and make your system look poorly. They use up nitrate and when you go to scrape them off you are instantly feeding your inverts with phytoplankton

 

[hotskate]

okay thanks tom comes my skimmmer and 40 more lbs of live rock