Clean up crew recommendations

[dherman15]

Hi All,
My Fluval 13.5 is almost cycled, I think.
Looking for the most economical, effective, and hardy clean up crew.

I've got three young children so I would prefer something colorful and easy to find.
Here is what I was thinking
1 x peppermint shrimp
2 x Margarita Turbo snail
2 x Cleaner clams
2 x Emerald crab or red tailed hermit crab

After a month or so, pending I don't kill everything, I will purchase a couple clowns and maybe some frags.
thanks in advance

 

[EvanDeVita]

Definitely don't do two emerald crabs (I wouldn't even do 1). I have never been able to keep peppermint shrimp alive.
I would recommend:
Blue hermit crabs (6 in total but there is no need to start with that many at first)
Cleaner shrimp (1) - either a blood shrimp (my favorite) or a skunk
2 Nassarius snails if you want a sandbed (tank is prob too small for a sand sifting sea star unless u find a tiny one)
2 Mexican turbo snails
1 trochus

 

[Davos2911]

I was at my local fish shop Yesterday and asked about the peppermint shrimp. I was told that unless I have glass anenomes in my tank then it will likely starve.

I had 3 blue legged hermit crabs which is now one as the remaining hermit killed the other 2.

The big hitters for me have been 10 trochis snails a strawberry conch and a blue cheek goby. They dealt with my diatom algae outbreak in little over a week.

 

[New&no clue]

peppermint shrimps hide most of the day. I have 6 in my tank and I only see them at 2:00am when it has been pitch black for some time. Cleaners (fire or skunk) are out and about and a good color. Emeralds as well hide most of the day, only see them at night when the lights go down. My favorites in my tank are;

-cleaner shrimp
-tiger conch
-arrow crab
-turbo snail.

 

[HockeyRooster]

Nassarius snails should be fun for the kids to watch. They bury themselves in the substrate until you feed them and then they pop up. Sometimes you can see their nose, mouth ( I actually don know what it is) sticking out of the sand. My kids like looking for them.

 

[Jib]

Wait until you're sure your tank is cycled. When the tank is cycled, there won't really be anything to eat fro you CuC, especially without a fish. I'd plan on supplemental feedings. And really Clowns are pretty hardy fish, I think once cycled I'd get them and then your CuC.

 

[PR_nano]

-For crabs Blue and or Scarlet (colorful, small, good cuc)
-For snails Trochus, Nassarius, Cerith.
-I would not add a Turbo at least not yet. They are a work horse and a new tank especially this size will not provide adequate food. (Had 1 in a 20).
-Cleaner shrimp is good, seeing them work on fish would be good for the kids to see. Care as they do tend to pull food from coral mouth if spot feeding.

 

[snorklr]

if you have blue leg hermits make sure there are a variety of sizes of shells for them to grow into...i think they usually kill snails or each other in search of shells...ive kept hermits and snails for months with no feedings as long as theres some algae for them to eat

 

[dherman15]

Wait until you're sure your tank is cycled. When the tank is cycled, there won't really be anything to eat fro you CuC, especially without a fish. I'd plan on supplemental feedings. And really Clowns are pretty hardy fish, I think once cycled I'd get them and then your CuC.

thanks for the feedback. I checked the parameters tonight and ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites all shot up from a couple days ago. So I'm guessing the cycle hasn't completed. I never considered getting the clowns before CUC, but this makes sense.

 

[dherman15]

-For crabs Blue and or Scarlet (colorful, small, good cuc)
-For snails Trochus, Nassarius, Cerith.
-I would not add a Turbo at least not yet. They are a work horse and a new tank especially this size will not provide adequate food. (Had 1 in a 20).
-Cleaner shrimp is good, seeing them work on fish would be good for the kids to see. Care as they do tend to pull food from coral mouth if spot feeding.

Thank you for the information. I really want to get the kids involved and if the cleaner shrimp if good for them...then I'm sold