Clean up crew?

PepperDeath · Mar 24, 2012

What should I get for a clean up crew for my biocube 29?

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REEFKEEPER10 · Mar 24, 2012

Blue leg hermits, scarlet reef hermits, nassuras snials, emerald crab, cerith snails maybe a Mexican turbo snail. It really depends on what needs cleaned up. Is it a new tank or is it over grown with algae.

PepperDeath · Mar 24, 2012

Yea its a new tank ..3 weeks..and there's brown stuff on the sand and starting to get some white stuff on the rocks..how many of each of those do I need? Thank you!

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S@ltydog · Mar 24, 2012

In addition to a clean up crew I stir up the sand in all of my tanks twice a week or so. I have since I started my tanks so there is no fear of buildup of lethal toxins. As the food and waste breaks down into the sand you can sometimes find yourself fighting off hair algae or Cyanobacteria if you don't. Especially in smaller tanks. It can build up fast. You can do smaller sections of sand in the tank at a time until you get it all done over a week or so. That way your biofilter can process any toxins appropriately.

Eggs · Mar 24, 2012

I started out with Blue Legs but ended up removing them because they were taking out the snails. I would suggest Scarlet if you wish to have crabs.
Mexican Turbo's do a nice job, but they're on the large side and may knock some things around.

REEFKEEPER10 · Mar 24, 2012

Stirring the sand bed is a good habit to get into. 3 weeks I would hold off on a clean up crew and keep the light out until ammonia and nitrite are zero. Then do a 100% water change with RO/DI saltwater then start lighting the tank. The nassuras snails will help keep the sand bed stirred. I would start with a small amount. Maybe 10 nassuras snails, 10 scarlet reef hermit crabs and a turbo snail. Use the blue leg hermit crabs as a last resort as the like killing snails for no reason. This is just my opinion maybe someone else could chime in with better info. The key right now is to weight on it to cycle and get rid of the nutrients.

returnofsid · Mar 24, 2012

For now, since your tank is so new and you're only dealing with Diatoms, I would keep your clean up crew small, with critters specifically chosen to deal with the Diatoms. I would suggest just a few Nassarius Snails and maybe a few Dwarf Cerith Snails, to keep the sand bed stirred up.