Ideas for new inhabitants

ReefzJR · Aug 9, 2020

Hey Reefers! Just trying to get some recommendations for what I should house in a 13g tank.
How many inverts/cleaners should I get? Crabs vs snails vs shrimp?
Do bottom dwelling fish like gobies run into issues with crabs like sally light foots?

I’d like to get a small mix of the inverts.
I tend to be a purpose driven person so I can’t fish or inverts that are known to eat algae and service the tank so to speak. Any good small fish that pick at algae?
Thanks for the input!!

xxkenny90xx · Aug 9, 2020

For crabs I would stick with porcelains. Emeralds and some hermits can be ok too but things like Sally Lightfoot crabs will probably kill some small fish

Y8ZC · Aug 9, 2020

Hey, I can’t speak on everything in your question, but I can answer the clean up crew (CUC) question. I have a 12g AIO and the general rule of thumb is one member of the CUC for every gallon. That being said I have a little over that. I have 3 scarlet hermits, 4-5 blue legs, 2 trochus snails, 3 nassarius snails and a peppermint shrimp I just got for aiptasias. They’ve don’t a great job in the tank. I have tried emerald crabs in the past but they don’t last in my tank and it drives me nuts because I have some bubble algae that I’m working on. I also had a banned coral shrimp for a long time but he got stuck in his molt and what torn apart by everything else in the tank. Good luck and I hope it works out for you!

ewanho · Aug 9, 2020

Had a tank full of brown algae on set up after a few weeks. All over the glass, rocks, sand; bought two snails - a tectus turbo and mexican turbo; They cleaned it up in a day or two;
Tank is overfed and overlit admittedly;
Mine is a 15g tall with an aquaclear 30 HOB filter; i use aquaclear carbon bag, phosbond, and zeolite

water change 2g per week
so far so good

Have 2 ocelaris and a blackfin wrasse