Chosing clean up crew - 20 gallon

[Snowgrrl83]

Hi everyone,

My 20 gallon tank is currently cycling with LR.

I'm just wondering, what do you recommend as first clean up crew specimens (of the invert type)? What would you add first? I'm hoping to eventually add soft corals and leathers, such as mushrooms, xenia and zoas to the tank. As for fish, I hope to get a pair of ocillaris clowns and some type of goby or firefish.

This is my first SW tank and I would like to research what I'm going to buy first so I'm looking for suggestions and then I intended to further read up on what your suggestions are!!

Thanks!

[jer77]

You don't really need a "clean up crew" to start off your tank, in my first tank I chose to add a Sebae anemone and clown which was a very gutsy and probably uneducated thing to add to a new 20 gallon tank. But I'm glad your taking it slowly and looking for advice. Inverts do offer a cheap and effective way to test whether your water is ready for fish and some also offer some types of benefits. The basic combination of inverts to add initially are snails, hermit crabs and maybe a shrimp, urchin or starfish. My suggestion would be to just add some snails and hermits to start.

For snails, some like Turbos or Astreas, but I find them, especially Astreas to be not too hardy. Most snails that are offered at your fish store are collected in slightly cooler waters than your tank and this may contribute to a more stressed and shorter lifespan. This goes for most Turbos and Astreas which are collected in the Caribbean or on the Pacific east coast of Mexico. Also, Margarita snails are definitely meant for cooler waters being collected in waters as cool as California's coast, about 65-70F. I prefer Trochus snails by far because they are only collected in the warmer waters of the Indo-Pacific. They usually are sold as Tiger Trochus or Turban snails. They live longer IME, don't get too large like the Zebra Turbos and can right themselves if they fall over unlike Astreas which can drown easily. For cleaning the sand I would recommend getting some Cerith snails and maybe a couple nassarius snails, big or small type. So for a 20 gallon I would try to get maybe 4-5 Trochus snails, if you can only get turbos its ok they are still ok. Then try to find some ceriths, maybe 6 if you have a nice sandbed for them to bury into.

For hermit crabs, people have many opinions about which ones are the best and which ones are actually reef-safe. I can say without a doubt, if you want a reef-safe hermit that won't harass snails or other inverts the only crab you should look into are the scarlet reef hermits. They are scarlet red and aren't too small when you get them and don't get too large, around 1''. There are other hermits that are red called mexican red legged hermits, but they can become aggressive. The blue legged hermits usually come very small and therefore many die off. I also like to add zebra legged hermits along with the scarlet reefs. Some people don't like them because they get rather large, 1''-2'', and can become aggressive if they have little food. They are very active though and help more with clean up than any other invert I've ever had. I have about 10 in my 180 gallon and they help a surprising amount. They won't harm your corals either. So I would try to get maybe 5-6 hermits and try to get the scarlet reef type.

For shrimp, you can't go wrong with some peppermint shrimp or one scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp. They both are fun to watch and the peppermints can eat aiptasias while the scarlet helps clean bacteria from the fish. Sexy anemone shrimp are cool but very tiny. They usually like to have some coral or small anemone to call their home like clownfish. You could get 2-3 peppermints or a scarlet cleaner.

For other inverts for a clean up crew, there are starfish, urchins, featherdusters, small anemones and even cucumbers. I would wait for these though since most need a little more individualized care or require a dedicated food source of phytoplankton or lots of algae.

HTH!

Look at this site for invert care and info:
www.liveaquaria.com

[Snowgrrl83]

Thanks jer!!! That was awesome! Well, I'll do more reading, but I'm so excited about getting livestock - but I still have about a month or so to wait before my tank is fully cycled... doh!

[jer77]

Ya, no prob. I just read this from a separate post in this forum:

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rs/index.php

Its about how to identify tropical snail types that are suitable for your tank. Also, it reminds me to tell you too that you don't really need a lot of snails or hermits at once because whenever I add inverts I know a portion of them won't make it. So you have to be careful to watch out for dead or dying snails especially cause they can rot and seriously contaminate your water. Plus, snails really don't offer too much on algae control. Infact many will probably die because of lack of sufficient food, cause they are used to large amounts of macroalgae. This is even truer for urchins. Most die off after the first month or so from starvation unless you have a large tank filled with growing macro. Many other inverts some put in their tanks fall to their demise the same way. Don't ever purchase a sand-sifting starfish even if your told they clean your sandbed, unless you have a 1000 gallon tank with a large DSB. I had one a while ago in a 55 gallon and it completely devoured all the micro-life in the sand, so much so it caused the sandbed to pretty much "die" and become inactive. And needless to say the starfish died too. Cucumbers are similar in this too. I'm not a huge fan on large starfish in reef aquaria, with a couple exceptions like brittlestars, because of the fact most are really good at eating useful livestock.

So do you have any stocking plans besides the inverts or are you just playing it by ear?

[DC_40gallon]

I would consider something fun like a small urchin.

[rale2001]

Sorry to intrude on ur thread but what do the vets feel about a red banded shrimp I was in the same situation. I had 6 hermit crabs that came from the ocean that helped me cycle my tank so I threw 3 damsels in there with the crabs in two days no trace of the fish at all. - had two largr 2 med and two small ones that's as about 3/4 if an inch. I got rid of em all and put a red banded shimp and a nassarias snail and a scarlet reef hermit crab now. They doing an ok job so far but this is only day 4 so only time will tell. I have a 35 gal

[Golden Angel]

Don't get any hermits. All they do is trample your corals and cause problems. There is no such thing as a reef safe hermit. I know that others might disagree but trust me. Even the scarlets can be naughty. If you want something to clean the rocks, just go with emeralds.

[jer77]

I accept that hermits, no matter what species, will get hungry and may fight other hermits, snails, other inverts and sometimes even small fish, for example gobies. I don't believe I have ever had a hermit cause damage to a coral, this does not include pest hermits and hitchhikers, and as long as I only keep hermits 1'' and under they don't even cause minor problems to other inverts and fish. Almost every time a hermit is seen attacking an overturned snail, the snail probably isn't in its best health anyways. A snail shouldn't be falling from not having a good suction grip. It also should be quick to right themselves if it does. I like to believe the hermits make sure my tank environment is a healthy one by making it competitive for all the inhabitants. Natural fitness is pretty cool when you see hermit crabs fighting over the best scraps or the best spot on the rockwork. It insures me that in case a snail does die and start to rot, at least a few hermits will be there to clean it up. It isn't perfect cause sometimes I do have to play God and remove an unusually large hermit or add a few more cause they don't reproduce themselves.

[jenjen]

I personally love hermits and find them far more interesting than snails. Yes they walk on my corals, but corals open back up and hermits never stay put for long anyway. I've yet to see a hermit hunt down a healthy snail, and even if they did snails breed in my tank like... well like breeding snails, so what's one lost to natural selection?

In my 55gal I have 10 scarlet hermits and 20 little blue guys, plus 1 electric blue. I also have a bunch of snails & a couple of shrimp. I keep far more in my 180gal. Inverts add interest to a tank, and it would be ashame to not have the constant scamper of the hermits in there. Plus it's FUNNY to watch them carefully scale the rock face, only to fall and start climbing all over again!

Then again, I love my sand sifting fishes too... even though I have to turkey-baste my corals daily to keep them sand free. To each his (or her) own I guess.

[Tropix]

Prepare the snail crew

Astrea, Nassarius, Trochus, Stomatella and some Turbo grazers

[Snowgrrl83]

Alright! I`ve noted everything! Now I just have to resist the urge to visit the LFS for a couple of weeks until my tank finishes its cycle.