Cleaning crew!!!

Salty-Noob · May 24, 2013

What do they or can consist of?

How many hermit crabs can I put into my 29g biocube?

Great Barrier Reefer · May 24, 2013

They can consist of snails, shrimp, crabs, sea cucumbers and any creatures that will contribute to cleaning up the waste of other animals, and that do not produce any great deal of waste themselves. As for the hermit crabs, you wouldn't need that many, maybe only two or three medium sized ones. Be wary though, some do like to snack on corals!

Salty-Noob · May 24, 2013

Great Barrier Reefer said:
They can consist of snails, shrimp, crabs, sea cucumbers and any creatures that will contribute to cleaning up the waste of other animals, and that do not produce any great deal of waste themselves. As for the hermit crabs, you wouldn't need that many, maybe only two or three medium sized ones. Be wary though, some do like to snack on corals!

What kind of shrimp? I have one cleaner shrimp and 4 small hermit crabs.

Great Barrier Reefer · May 24, 2013

Camel shrimp, peppermint shrimp, shrimp and goby pair (very rare, but a cool find), shrimp are really good for smaller aquariums, as in larger ones they tend to get 'lost'.

glb · May 24, 2013

I have 10 small hermit crabs, 2 emerald crabs, 4 snails and one sand-sifting starfish in my 12g nano.

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12g Nanoreef. Zooanthids, Ricordia, Star Polyps and two clownfish.

46gReef · May 24, 2013

My personal feelings on hermits are stay away! They are snail killers, even if you put extra shells in the tank more often than not they just murder snails&steal theirs. IMO there isn't anything they do that a snail or shrimp can't do. Also, if you plan on having corals I would steer clear of camel shrimp, they are not 100% reef safe

Salty-Noob · May 24, 2013

I was told to get another cleaner shrimp but don't they just clean the fish

rong · May 24, 2013

Sand sifter in a 12 gal tank?? He needs to go, he'll starve in short order, he should be in a 50 gal minimum. I had an emerald in my 29 gal, he ate corals and was banished to the sump until he died.

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Daniel@R2R · May 24, 2013

Salty-Noob said:
I was told to get another cleaner shrimp but don't they just clean the fish

That's their job.

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Salty-Noob · May 24, 2013

mdbannister said:
That's their job.

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Just to clean fish right? Not help clean my tank in any way

Daniel@R2R · May 24, 2013

rong said:
Sand sifter in a 12 gal tank?? He needs to go, he'll starve in short order, he should be in a 50 gal minimum. I had an emerald in my 29 gal, he ate corals and was banished to the sump until he died.

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I actually probably would avoid sand sifter stars altogether. They don't really clean anything. Instead they eat microfauna which are an important part of your ecosystem. In most any system, they will eventually deplete their food source and starve.

I had one for a while until I researched them and found out that life in an aquarium is pretty much a death sentence for them. I hate it because they really are cool little critters.

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rong · May 24, 2013

Peppermints are more for tank cleaning, skunks are for parasites, I'd have one or some of each, depending on tank size.

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46gReef · May 24, 2013

My cleaner cleans everything, pretty much any shrimp/crab out there will eat left over food, I've seen him eat fish waste as well.....agreed regarding the sandsifters, in such a small tank definately a no go IMO....

glb · May 25, 2013

Actually the sand sifter seems pretty happy. The last one I had lived for several years.

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12g Nanoreef. Zooanthids, Ricordia, Star Polyps and two clownfish.

Skitzogerl34 · May 28, 2013

A basic CUC consists of inverts like snails, crabs, urchins, shrimp and stars.

I have 5 hermits and 20 cerith snails in my FOWLR 29g Biocube. I know it seems like a lot of snails, but they are small and stir the sand nicely and clean up the glass and rock as well. The ceriths do an ok job and I don't have to worry about fixing them if they fall over. I got scarlet and electric blue hermits. The hermits have never attacked a snail, but I also have plenty of extra shells laying in the tank for the hermits.

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Salty-Noob · May 28, 2013

Skitzogerl34 said:
A basic CUC consists of inverts like snails, crabs, urchins, shrimp and stars.

I have 5 hermits and 20 cerith snails in my FOWLR 29g Biocube. I know it seems like a lot of snails, but they are small and stir the sand nicely and clean up the glass and rock as well. The ceriths do an ok job and I don't have to worry about fixing them if they fall over. I got scarlet and electric blue hermits. The hermits have never attacked a snail, but I also have plenty of extra shells laying in the tank for the hermits.

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Thanks for the info want to add some snails

Liquid360 · May 28, 2013

In a 29 gallon cube you can fit roughly 60,000 assuming you organize them in rows instead of just dumping them in all willy-nilly. Keep in mind however that just because you can doesn't mean you should.

glb · May 28, 2013

Ha ha.

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12g Nanoreef. Zooanthids, Ricordia, Star Polyps and two clownfish. CF Lighting, 75% actinic blue, 25% 10,000k white.