Advice on clean up crew

[MelO82]

Hello,


My tank is at the end of cycling and I already have diatoms growing on the LR and a bit on the sand. Also, I have some pink/red stuff just starting to grow.. red hair algae? I have a 38 gallon tank with about a 2 inch LS bed and 50lbs of LR.


It's about that time to order my clean up crew and this is what I'm thinking of getting...




Cart
4 x Nerite Snails
10 x Dwarf Cerith
6 x Nassarius Vibex
1 x Empty Hermit Shells
8 x Dwarf Planaxis
1 x Serpent Starfish
3 x Blue Leg Hermit Crab


This is from ReefCleaners.org... what do you guys think about this CUC crew for a new tank?


Also, ReefCleaners.org strongly recommends acclimating the CUC crew by just floating the bag for 15min and then putting the in. They advise strongly against drip acclimating... any thoughts on this? I've always heard the CUC is extremely sensitive to water parameters and changes.


Thank you!!!:thumbup:

 

[glb]

Hello,


My tank is at the end of cycling and I already have diatoms growing on the LR and a bit on the sand. Also, I have some pink/red stuff just starting to grow.. red hair algae? I have a 38 gallon tank with about a 2 inch LS bed and 50lbs of LR.


It's about that time to order my clean up crew and this is what I'm thinking of getting...




Cart
4 x Nerite Snails
10 x Dwarf Cerith
6 x Nassarius Vibex
1 x Empty Hermit Shells
8 x Dwarf Planaxis
1 x Serpent Starfish
3 x Blue Leg Hermit Crab


This is from ReefCleaners.org... what do you guys think about this CUC crew for a new tank?


Also, ReefCleaners.org strongly recommends acclimating the CUC crew by just floating the bag for 15min and then putting the in. They advise strongly against drip acclimating... any thoughts on this? I've always heard the CUC is extremely sensitive to water parameters and changes.


Thank you!!!:thumbup:

If the pink/red stuff is hard and growing on the rock, it's coralline algae, which is the sign of a healthy tank!

 

[glb]

I've always added some tank water to the bag and then taken then out and put them in the tank without a problem.

 

[FiveAlarmFrags]

I have also added some water when acclimating them.

 

[MelO82]

Thanks all? How's that sound for a cuc on a new tank? Too many? Too little?... The pink/red, well actually the red stuff looks like it's getting stringy. The pink stuff is yet to be determined. I also have some green algae in there but I think it was already on the rock and has just spread on that same rock. I'm only 3 weeks in and my ammonia is still at about 0.25 so I'm waiting till things get stable but want to plan ahead. As soon as I get those parameters in check I want to throw the cuc in there so my algae doesn't get out of control.

 

[DSP]

You will get at least double what you order from reef cleaners.They throw in soooo many extra snails and stuff lol which isn't a bad thing if you have friends that need a cuc or you can take them to your Lfs.when I ordered from reeflcleaners for my 40 gal breeder I bought the 20 gallon package because they send you enough for a 75 gallon tank atleast lol.So just remember you are gunna get way more then you order

 

[pickupman66]

FWIW, I just got a large CUC order from Reefcleaners.org. John Maloney is a stand up business guy and knows his critters. we got in 50 hermits, 50 dwarf cerinths and a coral banded shrimp and all were aclimated just like he said to. Floated and ten removed from their water and placed in the tanks. Zero losses. Shrimp is big and beautiful and tomorrow will be transported to my office.

Order from them with confidence. Way better than the rest.

One thing I didnt like about the nerites is that I lost half of mine last time because they wanted to be out of the water behind my tank for some odd reason. I constantly had to toss them back in until I forgot... then I found 6 empty shells on the floor. The Florida Cerinths and dwarf cerinths do a good job.

I would add in a few more blue legs too.

 

[cparka23]

John at ReefCleaners is awesome. He adds way more than you ordered, everything ships well, and following his acclimation instructions has never given me any problems.

Just to echo pickupman66, nerites are notorious for escaping from aquariums. I didn't know this beforehand and had to add a screen top to my aquarium soon after. I'd skip on them unless you want/have some kind of top on your aquarium. They are very good algae grazers, though.

 

[MelO82]

Awesome!

I'm definitely complete my order with them then. I'll probably do one of the "Quick Crews" then add Ina few extras like the hermits. I can't wait till my tank is ready for them. I got a diatom bloom going on that's driving me nuts. Just finished blowing some away with the turkey Bastet. Not sure if this will work towards me or against me. The cup crew will definitely have much to eat when they arrive if this keeps up like this. :neutral: