Indo-Pacific

[Demosthenes]

I have a 20H that I'm working on, and recently asked about a CleanUp Crew, but ended up just about as confused as what to do. So, I'm thinking about the 9 for 99 deal at IPSF.com (http://www.ipsf.com). Here's what I plan to get:
6 SandBed Clams
6 Baby Bristle Worms
6 Nerite Grazers
6 Strombus Grazers
6 MicroHermits
6 Hawaiian Turbo Grazers
Reef Amphipods (20+)
Anthelia Polyps
LS Activator (Includes LS, 6 Grazing Snails, 6 MicroHermits, and Tiny Worms)

This will give me 48 Little Buggers zooming around my tank, plus an assortment of Pods, Worms, and also Anthelia Polyps. What do you think? Will this work out?

[tyesmithND]

Demosthenes,

It will be interesting to see what people say about this. I think it would be helpful to hear what type and depth sand bed you plan on running. Most people do not use a DSB on a nano (unless they have refugium). They rely simple on water changes and live rock for filtration.

I personally do not see how any of the creatures can hurt your tank, but I am not sure how well they can thrive (do their job) without a deep sand bed.

I also think you might want to switch out one or two of the sets of snails for something else. Right now I count 24 snails and 12 hermits which might be too much in a nano.

Well, I hope this helps in we will see what others say.

Good luck

Tye

[Pinecone_Jeff]

I would forget the hermits all together and get whatever else you want instead. Well, maybe a few hermits will be okay. I would go mostly algae eating snails and scavenger snails (nassarius). The hermits that I bought from IPSF are very hardy and very hungry all the time. Sometimes they pull food right out of my polyps. I've seen some eat bristleworms. So who knows what else they eat.

I like veggie eating snails because they do a pretty good job of cleaning the glass. You can get nassarius snails from www.premiumaquatics.com. Those strombus grazers from IPSF are fantastic too and they breed pretty well.

For my 10 gal, I used IPSF's 9 for $99 and Inland Aquatic's detritivore kit.

[yrureefing]

For all those animals you should make a dsb. But I am not the expert so why don't you ask him. Dr. Ron could give you a good answer.

[Demosthenes]

I guess I forgot to mention anything else about my tank other than it was a 20H. Okay, well, here's a brief description. For a DSB, I have roughly 60 lbs of very, very fine-grain LS. 40 lbs of Indo-Pacific LR. 400W MH 20000K Pendant for 20w/g. Weir Overflow leading to custom sump up to 180G. MagDrive7 for Return Pump, with 500gph after 3ft HP. So, tank is circulated 25/hr. Plus a SeaClone 100 in the sump. I plan on keeping SPS and Clams. I am also picking up an Engineer Goby tomorrow as the inhabitant.

[Pomacanthus1]

Dr. Ron himself recommends against DSBs in nanos.

Here (www.reefcentral.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=68902) is a thread where he explains why.

[Demosthenes]

It's only 3 inches deep though. Is it still enough for the creatures from IPSF?

[yrureefing]

That is going to be an awesome tank! I hope you post pics.

[Demosthenes]

Thanks, and once it's up and running, I definitely will.

[Pomacanthus1]

Three inches isn't enough for a true DSB. 3" would be to shallow for a significant population of anaerobic bacteria to establish themselves.

If you just want a bunch of critters and a few corals, www.etropicals.com has a wide variety. They're also an RC sponsor.

[Todd March]

Demosthenes,

I think a 3" DSB will be fine... I have seen other nano owners post here that a 3" DSB still allowed enough denitrification to reduce their nitrate levels to zero. It is my opinion that a 3" DSB would not be effective in a 90 gallon+ heavily stocked tank for denitrification, but in a 20 gallon nano, well, it's another matter and it seems to work... Pay no attention to what Dr. Ron says–at one point he posted that the minumum footprint for a DSB was 288 inches (20 gallon), and then in another post he claimed that anything under a 40 gallon would not work...? Go by what other nano owners say, rather than by what he says... I would be sure to use very fine sugar sized aragonite, though. Maybe a sprinkling of the larger sand (as in live sand) on top, but with this shallow bed, you want the finest particles possible. I used CaribSea's sugar fine and it is very small...

I also think that with smaller DSB's you might have to prepared for population wipe outs more frequently than with larger tanks (due to the limited real estate). But simply odering new Det. kits will take care of that...

And regardless of the sandbed's depth (well, I guess 1" inch might be too shallow), critters like bristle worms and mini brittle stars and micro stars are a great addition to any reef tank. They are not exclusivily for a DSB; it is my understanding that they would not go down too deep into the sand anyway (ie. the denitrification layers).

Also, if you set your tank up very slowly and concisously (NO tap water ever), you shouldn't get much algae growth at all; newer tanks with such limited algae growth can literally starve most snails after a few weeks, so watch out for this... The amount of snails you have lined up it way too much unless you have algae growing everywhere.

My tank has never grown much microalgae at all, and for control of what little I have, the tank has 6 Trocus snails, and a baby 1" Chevron tang. This is a good balance for such a tank (20 gallons), and I still have to supplement the tangs diet with dried nori. I think the Trocus snails are the best, as they will climb all over the oddest shaped rock as well as the walls of the tank, and seem to eat several types of algae. They are also large enough to stay out of filter returns, but not as large and klunky as Turbos.

Also, as you may figure out, it is very hard to order just what you want from Gerald at IPSF... In the end, I ordered from Inland Aquatics, as I could specifiy exactly what I wanted for my small tank. They also didn't make me spend $100+ dollars to get the mini brittle stars, AND they offer micro starfish, something IPSF does NOT... On the other hand, the only amphipods that Inland sent were pretty much Mysis only (I could find NO Grammarus or other amphipods), and IPSF has the wonderul Grammarus, so in the end ordering from both companies (as most people seem to do) is probably the best bet...

[tyesmithND]

Todd March,

How small is a baby chevron?

Does is have the same coloring as a juvenal?

How would you compare its behavior to a yellow or Purple tang?

Oh yeah, you should be prepared for the onslaught of the Tang Police if you have one is a 20g

[Todd March]

My little Chevron tank, like I said, is about 1"-1.5", and has the same bright coloration as other juvenille Chevrons. He was extremely thin when I "rescued" him, but he eats very well, including grazing the rocks and walls of the tank all day. He grazes very much like a yellow Tang--A LOT!... He is putting on weight little by little. Since he is so young and tiny, he was very shy at first, but after a few weeks he is coming around, and has even finally greeted me when I come over to check things out, rather than running for cover in the rocks...

To alleviate the concerns of the Tang police, this 20g home is only temporary. I am planning on setting up a larger tank in the next year or so (100+ gallons) and that will be his final home...

[clowdy]

the list looks good but i would be a little concerned about that many sandbed clams in a nano, they might eventually starve. also, i personally stay away from turbos in my tank because they tend to knock things over in small spaces like a nano. i'd go with astreas instead. otherwise it looks good. ask them if they'll cut down the numbers a bit since you have a small tank and you might even get some money off!