Cleanup crew question

[Amount0001]

Hello

My 45 gallon tank just cycled. I'm going to add a cleaning crew to it next. My local fish store offers this package for $45 and wanted to get your opinion on it. It includes:

15 hermit crabs
5 turbo snails
1 brittle star
1 emerald crab
2 various other snails (couldn't understand the name)
Various anthropods and microstars

Do you feel like this is a good package/value? They recommend two of the packages per 20 gallons but I plan to start with just one.

My concern is that at some point I plan on putting corale in the tank and I have read that many crabs/starfish can hurt/kill corales. Thoughs?

Thank you

[Kyle461]

Just to give you a comparison. In my 40G I have the following:

5 Blue Legged Hermits
5 Nass snails
5 Margarita snails
2 Astraea snails
1 Emerald Crab

With this crew of 18 they keep my tank neat and don't run out of a food source. I also have one fish that produces stuff to eat as well. 15 crabs and 5 Turbos seems overkill in a 45 IMO. They will starve if there is nothing to eat after they take care of everything.

Edit: I also added them slowly and not all at one time to observe if it was too much or not.

[gone fishin]

How can your tank just be cycled? You posted yesterday about filling your tank and adding rock to it.

[Amount0001]

Thanks Kyle.

Tony- with all of the live rock and live sand I used it pretty much cycled overnight. They told me that it would probably happen that wayyy the fish store but I didn't beleive them. I'll test it one more time this evening before I add anything

[Kyle461]

I would give it a bit and make sure you are cycled. I'm thinking a couple of weeks for sure. Wait until you see that ammonia spike. It's probably still coming.

[gone fishin]

I would not put much stock into the LFS advice on the overnight cycle.

If you continue down this road I believe your setting yourself up for issues later.

There is a great sticky at the top of the forum "setting up" I urge you to take a look at it. I wish you the best of luck.

[Amount0001]

I read it!

From what I have read online and what the fish shop said it cycles quicker because the live rock I ised in my tank is fresh from a tank and still really alive and not shipped and drier.

If you all think I should wait longer though I will- you know more than I eo

[Kyle461]

I used live rock as well transferred from another tank. There was still a cycle and it took about three weeks on my end for everything to zero out. I'm not saying you are not cycled (things happen!) but you may not be and want to be sure before introducing sensitive critters to the mix.

[gone fishin]

It is easy enough to check. Add an ammonia source to the tank. Get the ammonia up to 1-2ppm. If the tank is indeed cycled then ammonia and nitrites should be zero in a 24 hour period, If not then your not cycled. Just my 2 cents worth.

[Mythicalelf]

Originally Posted by gone fishin

It is easy enough to check. Add an ammonia source to the tank. Get the ammonia up to 1-2ppm. If the tank is indeed cycled then ammonia and nitrites should be zero in a 24 hour period, If not then your not cycled. Just my 2 cents worth.

I would do this.
Usually fast means 2-3 weeks instead of 4-6 weeks.

I used live rock with base rock and live sand for my last tank and it took 3 weeks and I still checked and ghost fed for a week to make sure.

[Fishpalace]

I have a 30g and added a mix of conch, crags and snails as I added fish to help balance the tank

[LeRenard]

Originally Posted by Amount0001

5 turbo snails

I have a 36 gallon tank and I have to supplement feed my *2* Turbo snails because they clean the tank out with a vengence. I'd question having more than 1, really. They get huge very quickly- but they are very cool. 90% of the time when I pass by my tank I look in to see what the turbos are up to.

[anthonys51]

i did the live rock and live sand route too, added about 40 lbs of high quality live rock and 30 lbs of live sand in my 29 gallon tank . i added the clean up crew 2 days later.

8 nass snails, 7 turbo snails . 3 sally crabs , 1 emerald, 3 Halloween hermits (there really big) waited 3 weeks before i added any-fish or even feed the tank. had a little ammonia the first week or so, but after that never had any.
never had any hair algae , bubble, crpyo bact, and all the clean up crew is still alive, except 2 sally

so i would say go for it. add them but i would lose the star and some hermits. now i know i am going to get attacked here, but it worked for me

[CafeReef]

Originally Posted by Amount0001

I read it!

From what I have read online and what the fish shop said it cycles quicker because the live rock I ised in my tank is fresh from a tank and still really alive and not shipped and drier.

If you all think I should wait longer though I will- you know more than I eo

I honestly would wait longer, I just added my first fish this last week after allowing my tank to cycle for 4 weeks. I was cycled before the 4 weeks, initial cycle ended after about a week, this was with running 15lbs of live rock and 20 lbs of live sand in a 20 gallon. Even if your tank did cycle overnight, that does not necessarily mean that your environment is stable. I would recommend waiting a couple of weeks before adding any CuC to your tank. Let the some bloom take place and algae build up so that they have something to eat and allows for everything to balance out better.

Kind of like firing an engine in cold weather, just because it starts, you still want to give it a bit to warm up before you take off.

[hotelbravo]

Originally Posted by CafeReef

Kind of like firing an engine in cold weather, just because it starts, you still want to give it a bit to warm up before you take off.

I like this

[anthonys51]

plus it might sound mean, but i rather have too much clean up crew than too little, if they starve they starve. then i no the right balance for my tank, because every tank is different

[Kyle461]

Originally Posted by anthonys51

if they starve they starve.....

I wouldn't promote this mentality at all. You wouldn't say the same about fish, dogs, cats, etc. You are providing a place to live for these inhabitants and it's torture/cruelty if that's how you see it.

It's much easier to build up to an amount that serves your tank. Who cares if you have to deal with a little hair algae for a small amount of time.

Not sure how you hold that mentality.

[anthonys51]

i would say that about a 2 dollar fish, not my 150 clownfish, because of the price please dont compare a snail to a dog, not even close ps i guess you dont ever eat fish at the supermarket or is there lives not worth more than your turbo snails

[Kyle461]

When you buy a pet (cheap or not, no matter the species) the idea is not to eat them but keep them as companions and provide a place for them to live. If it's dollar signs that you see and not the experience you will gain along with the animal then you may be in the wrong hobby.

I eat fish. They are provided in the supermarket for a different purpose other than a pet. I'm just saying that intentionally placing any animal in a situation for ultimate death is torture, plain and simple.

[anthonys51]

never said i would starve the snail to death. i said i rather have to many and have one or 2 die, then to have to little and have an algae problem. keeping tropical fish and plants is a hobby, while some might consider them pets, there really not. i have never cried when a fish died, never petted a fish, never let a fish sleep with me. stop being a liberal cry baby. its a snail , not trying to kill it and will do my best not to, but if it dies it dies . ps, millions upon millions of tropical fish die everyday in this hobby, you must be very sad,

[anthonys51]

ps in my opinion, only dogs are pets.even cats arent, they will eat you when u die,

[Kyle461]

Not sad at all. Deaths are expected with inexperience. I'm not perfect at all by any means (and not a liberal at that) and will have/have had animals die on me, but I've given them the best chance possible at a good life. I'm merely discussing my displeasure with intentional torture of any animal that is kept as a pet (not sure why they wouldn't be considered pets, but that may just be me!).

Just providing an opinion of course and everyone has their preferences. No need to take it personally! Do what you do. Good luck with it!!

[anthonys51]

not taking it personal, just bored at work,. found it funny that a person from texas where the state kills more people a year than most serial killers would be so concerned with the life of a snail. lol

[Kyle461]

Texas = everyone that lives there must love killing things

If a snailed murdered my family then I would go for the death penalty (turn him upside down and let the hermits feast).

[gone fishin]

This thread definitely took a wrong turn.