Clean up crew

jimbo78 · 01/16/2010, 09:46 PM

Looking to rebuild my clean up crewafter getting rid of a Picasso trigger that had killed most of it. Because of that and lack of time for maintance, maybe a bit of over feeding my rocks are covered with algea. What additions would be the best for eating it. I know lowering phosphate and nitrates will take care of it over time. What I'm looking for is to rebuild my clean up crew. What are your sugestions for that and that only.

micahdeane · 01/16/2010, 09:49 PM

well what kind of algea do you have growing?

jimbo78 · 01/16/2010, 10:27 PM

Red and green hair algae. The red stuff is like short fuzz not cyano.

jimbo78 · 01/16/2010, 10:30 PM

Also diatoms

five O · 01/16/2010, 11:04 PM

You might want to do some manual removal first. Clean up crews are for more geared towards maintenance. www.reefcleaners.org can point you in the right direction for you budget. They also give you a break down on what each snail/crab will do on the website. Plus they are pretty cheap.

bertoni · 01/17/2010, 06:18 PM

For a 90g tank, I might add 6 Trochus and 6 cerith snails, and see how they do long-term. Getting rid of hair algae might require some manual harvesting along with some GFO, though. Some people have luck with Turbo snails eating it.

Guygettnby · 01/17/2010, 07:23 PM

adding a few urchins short term will really help you help out as well. emerald crabs, conchs, cerith snails, asterina snails and of course hermits will help. but i think the urchins will help the most after doing lots of manual removal. possibly even turn the lights off for a few days then do a nice size water change.

garzaci · 01/17/2010, 08:09 PM

Never hurts to get the basics. A few blue leg hermits, a few ceriths and astreas, an emerald crab or two. Then after that you can look into others (urchins, sea hares, etc.)

01/16/2010, 09:46 PM	#1
jimbo78 Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: miami Posts: 3,099	Clean up crew Looking to rebuild my clean up crewafter getting rid of a Picasso trigger that had killed most of it. Because of that and lack of time for maintance, maybe a bit of over feeding my rocks are covered with algea. What additions would be the best for eating it. I know lowering phosphate and nitrates will take care of it over time. What I'm looking for is to rebuild my clean up crew. What are your sugestions for that and that only. __________________ Dive with sharks? Doesn't everyone. Current Tank Info: 60 cube

01/16/2010, 10:27 PM	#3
jimbo78 Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: miami Posts: 3,099	Red and green hair algae. The red stuff is like short fuzz not cyano. __________________ Dive with sharks? Doesn't everyone. Current Tank Info: 60 cube

01/16/2010, 10:30 PM	#4
jimbo78 Registered Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: miami Posts: 3,099	Also diatoms __________________ Dive with sharks? Doesn't everyone. Current Tank Info: 60 cube

01/17/2010, 06:18 PM	#6
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	For a 90g tank, I might add 6 Trochus and 6 cerith snails, and see how they do long-term. Getting rid of hair algae might require some manual harvesting along with some GFO, though. Some people have luck with Turbo snails eating it. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

01/17/2010, 08:09 PM	#8
garzaci Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Richlands, NC Posts: 241	Never hurts to get the basics. A few blue leg hermits, a few ceriths and astreas, an emerald crab or two. Then after that you can look into others (urchins, sea hares, etc.) __________________ Carlos No tank at all. Sold everything when I got stationed in Okinawa. Planning for when I return though. Current Tank Info: 20 gal reef tank

01/16/2010, 09:49 PM	#2
micahdeane Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: statesville nc Posts: 120	well what kind of algea do you have growing?

01/16/2010, 11:04 PM	#5
five O Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 152	You might want to do some manual removal first. Clean up crews are for more geared towards maintenance. www.reefcleaners.org can point you in the right direction for you budget. They also give you a break down on what each snail/crab will do on the website. Plus they are pretty cheap.

01/17/2010, 07:23 PM	#7
Guygettnby Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: FL Posts: 3,050	adding a few urchins short term will really help you help out as well. emerald crabs, conchs, cerith snails, asterina snails and of course hermits will help. but i think the urchins will help the most after doing lots of manual removal. possibly even turn the lights off for a few days then do a nice size water change.