How is this for a clean-up crew?

[pdiehm]

120 barebottom, eventually sps (one last try, otherwise, will move to lps), ~120 lbs of ReefCleaners rock.

the numbers are the eventual final numbers, not what will be initially stocked when the time comes.

at completion of cycle: 5280 pods from Algae Barn, fed with Phytoplankton. let them get super established, start multiplying and such. add in my tomini tang.

snails (Remember these are the anticipated final numbers):

30 Nerites
25 Trochus snails
25 Cerith? (not sure how they do in a barebottom)

No plans for hermits, unless someone can convince me it's a good idea.

Once I start seeing diatoms, will pull some more snails out of the QT and add to the tank as needed.

is that too few? Too many?

 

[ihavecrabs]

For some reason I always think I like hermits and they tackle hair algae so I always get them.. just to find they grow big and eat my snails. Ugh.

As far as final numbers, I'd say it is a good goal to hit, the challenge will be to add them slowly enough to ensure they have food to stay alive.

 

[pdiehm]

For some reason I always think I like hermits and they tackle hair algae so I always get them.. just to find they grow big and eat my snails. Ugh.

As far as final numbers, I'd say it is a good goal to hit, the challenge will be to add them slowly enough to ensure they have food to stay alive.

my plan is to order them all at once, pay shipping once. let them hang out in a 5 or 10g tank with a basic sponge filter, toss in a sheet of algae or wafers once or twice a week, and pull them from the tank as needed.

my invert QT will be a 10g tank, sponge filter, heater. not sure if there'll even be a light for them outside of ambient room light.

Would you get the ceriths in a barebottom or stay with the nerites/trochus?

I forgot to add in, I'm going to have 2 skunk cleaner shrimp, and a fire shrimp as well.

 

[ihavecrabs]

In my QT I found my ceriths slept in rock crevices. They were never in there long enough for me to notice if it did them harm not to have sand though.

I don't know if the algae sheet will be enough to sustain them long term though. They do need film algae. That and the algae sheet will breakdown quite quickly on you. If you go this route, I'd try to set the tank up asap and get a red/blue light over it with some live rock to jump start the algae growth for the newbies. That number will devour a small tank.

Anyone around you also starting a tank? Maybe go halfs on an order with them and again on a second order when you are both ready?

 

[pdiehm]

In my QT I found my ceriths slept in rock crevices. They were never in there long enough for me to notice if it did them harm not to have sand though.

I don't know if the algae sheet will be enough to sustain them long term though. They do need film algae. That and the algae sheet will breakdown quite quickly on you. If you go this route, I'd try to set the tank up asap and get a red/blue light over it with some live rock to jump start the algae growth for the newbies. That number will devour a small tank.

Anyone around you also starting a tank? Maybe go halfs on an order with them and again on a second order when you are both ready?

Where I live in Delaware is like a black hole for this hobby. we have really no shops within an hour any direction. It's fine. I'll order half...the trochus I know will come from one place, but the rest from reefcleaners, and I don't recall reading anything bad coming on their inverts.

 

[ihavecrabs]

Yeah, I do all my orders online even though I'm in the middle of quite a few lfs.. Quality in their inverts is just not there, plus they are all housed with sick fish. Not worth the risk to me.

 

[PDR]

Is there any particular reason you have decided to go with nerites? Numbers sound maybe a touch high. I do like to have a shrimp of some kind to eat leftover food. I am also a fan of emerald crabs. They do a great job on hair algae. IME they pose no risk to coral, fish or inverts if properly fed, I hand feed mine nori a couple times a week.

I can't remember if I mentioned this in your other thread, but I do highly recommend mikesphyto.com for pods and phyto. IME/IMO, you get way more visible pods and the phyto is super high quality.

 

[pdiehm]

Is there any particular reason you have decided to go with nerites? Numbers sound maybe a touch high. I do like to have a shrimp of some kind to eat leftover food. I am also a fan of emerald crabs. They do a great job on hair algae. IME they pose no risk to coral, fish or inverts if properly fed, I hand feed mine nori a couple times a week.

I can't remember if I mentioned this in your other thread, but I do highly recommend mikesphyto.com for pods and phyto. IME/IMO, you get way more visible pods and the phyto is super high quality.

I went with nerites because...I don't know why. I'm not sure if the trochus snails are detrivores? I have pods from Algae Barn coming with the phyto. I haven't heard of mikes phyto, will check it out.