Clean Up Crew Help

mrsalnj

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Whats up guys I just finished my first saltwater build and my tank is currently cycling, so now I'm looking to pick out my clean up crew, any ideas?

Its a 40 gallon breeder Reef Tank

20170918_191523.jpg
 
Start small...1-2 snails.
Wait a few weeks and add 1-2 more critters...or a coral.
Wait at least a few weeks.
Repeat until your livestock and CUC are complete.
Waiting a few EXTRA weeks between fish additions would be a great idea.
 
I've been looking for a way to avoid quarantining a clean up crew.

I'm not sure how much worry is really justified on this front.

What are the odds of a given snail carrying a velvet spore? Small. A snail from a fishless system? Smaller.

What are the odds of that spore actually arriving on a fish vs down a coral mouth or out the protein skimmer? Small.

What are the odds of it actually infecting a fish it touches vs just sticking to its mucus or bouncing off? Small.

What is small (or smaller) x small x small? ;)

I've never QT'd inverts – unless you have an algae factory on stand by, QT'ing snails would be a cruel starvation test. There's usually not enough algae in the display, let alone in a QT.

OTOH I've always shopped locally so I could always see and hand-pick what I was getting and know what kind of system they were coming out of. YMMV.

I would still be a little afraid of putting in so much CUC all at once....especially into a brand new tank. I would select nothing larger than their "2.5, 3g JBJ" package from the snail-only list. Even that's a fair amount all at once for a new tank. If I had the option, I'd prefer to add 1-2 at a time and wait a few/several weeks before adding the next thing.
 

IF YOU HAD TO TAKE A REEFING EXAM, WOULD YOU PASS?

  • Yes!

    Votes: 32 45.7%
  • Not yet, but I have one that I want to buy in mind!

    Votes: 9 12.9%
  • No.

    Votes: 26 37.1%
  • Other (please explain).

    Votes: 3 4.3%

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