Detritus clean up crew pack

[gajeep94yj]

Add some of you might remember I have been figuring high nitrates as I learn how to keep an aquarium. I think I have addressed most of the suggestions but while researching on liveaquaria.com I noticed they had detritus clean up crews.

I have 3 turbo snail, 3 nassarius snails, and 2 hermit crabs and thought I had enough. Buy while looking on their pre-built packs for a 30 gallon tank they see suggestions so many more! They say the packs are built based on the number of gallons to specifically fight detritus. So based on their numbers I am WAY off!

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=420+2732+486&pcatid=486">http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=420+2732+486&pcatid=486</a>

Should I add more of these clean up crews items?

Should I add some of the nassarius snails in the sump to help sift that sand?

 

[franciscosalazar]

Buy what your feeding habits can maintain. Don't worry about their suggestions.

 

[dball711]

franciscosalazar;1024249 wrote: Buy what your feeding habits can maintain. Don't worry about their suggestions.

Correct, the clean up crew will not lower nitrates, the most important thing you can do is not overfeed. I size my cleanup crew to keep nuisance algae in check and that mission starts with a balance of whats fed. Ill let others chine in about the sand in the sump, I would not have sand in my sum.

 

[camellia]

I'd say you could use 10 to 15 hermits easy! Not huge ones, just normal size.

What kind of sump do you have? Any special reason you have sand in your sump? Rock in your sump is good but I'd stay away from sand in a sump!
This could be a maintanience/nitrate nightmare!

If you have algae get more snails too. Personally I don't keep turbo's, they knock everything over...

 

[gajeep94yj]

I had extra sand and someone mentioned they kept a couple inches of sand in their live rock section of their sump.....although I am not finding anyone that does that online. I an going to chuck that one up to bad info... It'll come out tonight when I vacuum out the sump again.

I have that red slimy stuff that builds up on the glass I have to keep wiping off. What type of snail would that be?

I'll pick up some more hermit crabs and some of the nassaruis snails.

Anything else I should pick up to help keep the tank clean?

What about things like lettuce slugs, emerald crabs, fighting conch, sea urchins, sea cucumbers?

 

[scramer74]

I would avoid the margarita snails. They can't right themselves if they flip over. Also very and get the scarlet hermit crabs. They are reef safe.

 

[camellia]

Yes, sand in the sump is a bad idea honestly! I believe most everyone here would agree. I'm surprised more haven't given me the +1...


All the other things you listed are nice, cute, but not needed as a general CUC.
However if you had a problem, some do eat just that....say you had bubble algae, then Emeralds are awesome...
Get a mix of snails (no more turbo's) each have a place.

I'm wondering what RED gets on your glass? Usually a green film coveres the glass not red!

 

[dball711]

camellia;1024281 wrote: yes, sand in the sump is a bad idea honestly! I believe most everyone here would agree. I'm surprised more haven't given me the +1...

+1

 

[ghbrewer]

Camellia;1024281 wrote: Yes, sand in the sump is a bad idea honestly! I believe most everyone here would agree. I'm surprised more haven't given me the +1...

+1, lol

 

[axio]

As long as you can effectively keep the sand from reaching the pump there is no reason you couldn't keep sand in the sump. People use it all the time to keep Mangroves as a substitute to just the refugium mud. Or I have seen it used with the people that do the "macro algae display tanks" getting popular with refugiums. Also it would add a bit more surface area for bacteria to grow i suppose... although I don't know how significant that would be. The new Eshopps sumps coming out will be perfect for sand use.

The red slimy stuff could the beginnings or coralline forming.

 

[camellia]

aXio;1024301 wrote: As long as you can effectively keep the sand from reaching the pump there is no reason you couldn't
But you must also keep this area in check with low phosphates and nitrates [vacume it/no nutrients]
etc.

The red slimy stuff could the beginnings or coralline forming.

The fastest growing coralline is encrusting, you would not be able to brush it off with a mag float or your hand etc. In a new system the first seen coralline is also usually green and not slimy.

 

[rdnelson]

I used to have a tiger spot cucumber and loved the little guy. Wouldn't see him for two or three months and then he would show up. You need to be careful which kind you get but the can be a nice part of a clean up crew.

 

[gajeep94yj]

You said careful on the kind you get. Can you expand on that?

Is that because some are not reef safe? I have a FOWLR (just learned what that meant)

 

[rdnelson]

From what I have been told (and that is dangerous) some will bite your tank if the die and you don't get the remains out in time.

 

[gajeep94yj]

Bite?
I haven't learned all the lingo yet so differentiating between lingo and typos are still difficult....

 

[whistl3r]

If you are still learning I would make a few suggestions:

Decide what you want your CUC for, then decide what it's members need to be. (each type has a role and it does not always line up with what you see them sold to perform)

I would stay away from hermits unless you specifically like them. They will kill each other for a new set of digs and will kill your snails as well.

I would not add cucumbers, what Rich was saying you might pick the wrong species and it can poison your tank when it dies and end up killing everything else.

 

[camellia]

If you are still learning I would make a few suggestions:


I would stay away from hermits unless you specifically like them. They will kill each other for a new set of digs and will kill your snails as well.


Hermits are IMHO the "backbone" of a CUC.
They do however grow out of their shells over time, so tossing in a few larger shells for them to grow into is helpful.

 

[camellia]

Whistl3r;1024359 wrote:
I would stay away from hermits unless you specifically like them. They will kill each other for a new set of digs and will kill your snails as well.
.

IMHO hermits are the "backbone" of a CUC!
Over time they do grow out of their shells, you can toss a few bigger shells in or let life evolve!

 

[gajeep94yj]

My boys love the hermit crabs. They want some regular crabs too and since this tank is for them I gotta keep them.

I'm heading over to pie reef after work today. Will see what I find there. (They have more fun there than at sea world Orlando! )

 

[ghbrewer]

I assume you meant pure reef, if so they sell CUC packs. $25, $45, & $65.