need a cleanup crew booster package

[revenant]

I think I need to get some more red legged hermits and bumble bee or cerith snails.. no more astreas! (they end up falling and not being able to upright themselves). Maybe also a lettuce nudibranc.. What's a good local shop to get a cleanup booster pack? Or should I order online? I got my last package from www.saltwaterfish.com but they always want to send me emerald crabs with their packages and I am just done with those ^%$&^%& crabs. WHat do you all recommend?

[sfsuphysics]

Unless you are ordering in the hundreds ordering online is usually a waste.

Which city are you near? Most of what you mentioned are available at a good number of stores. Red legged hermits usually will run you $2 a piece, Snails maybe $1-3 each depending upon store. I'd stay away from the nudibranch though, they only suck the chlorophyll out of the algae leaving the rest to rot and decay.

As for the recommendations, depending upon your level of cleanup that you need, whether algae or detritus, I think I'd recommend trochus snails, they're cone like asterea but can right themselves if they fall, or a turbo snail or two (you got quite the small tank so not much), I don't really care for ceriths they only eat film algae and do a so-so job at that. If it's detritus problems I'd probably suggest nasserius snails if you have a sandbed, they're good for stiring things up and come up like a sub when they smell "food"

[delsol650]

Chris at Aquatic Central has a whole bunch of Turbos, ( tiny, med and monster sized ceriths ), nerite and other snails. Also has a bunch of different hermits.. has a lot of scarlet hermits... also has some dwarf seahares great for algae eating..

[BodiBuilt]

Try GARF website... $1 ea. + cheap shipping including 2# free "GARF GRUNGE" with any purchase! And you can mix and match whatever you need (all snail's for example) : )

[revenant]

ok thanks for all the suggestions! I think it was trochus snails I was thinking of.. like Astrea, but better abilitity to upright themselves.. as for where I am near, I am in Tiburon, but do travel into the city every week day for work. And once a week also drive to Sunnyvale, which takes me in the neighborhood of AC (when on 19th ave).. so I should go check them out. I guess plan B will be Garf.. I know they're good peeps there.. I have yet to order from them but have heard good things. Thanks again!!!

[Kinetic]

bumble bee snails are actually pod eaters, they don't eat algae... unless you don't want pods you probably want to keep away from them as a "clean up crew"

[revenant]

oh wow.. good to know. What I am after is help with detritus and ...ugh, hair algae.. I have never had hair algae for the 1.something years I have had this tank but it suddenly sprung up.. ack! I am cutting back on feeding a bit, light exposure, running a phosphate reactor now, and am after beefing up the janitors.. just a little on the janitors.. I know once food runs out then they can starve.. anyways.. I'll check AC this week for some red legged hermits (I seem to have had more success with them than the blue legged ones) and trochus snails.. I am also blasting my LR with a turkey baster before each water change... well, done that once.. but I still think some janitors will help keep things at bay during the week.

[racrumrine]

Hunter at Lucky Goldfish in Oakland usually carries Trochus snails.

I'd call first to make sure they are in stock.

Best of luck,

Roy

[raddogz]

I agree the lfs around here are pretty good when it comes to clean-up critters. The trochus snails I picked up from New Alameda (six months and going) are still around, but the hundred astraea snails have long since vanished.

[revenant]

lol.. yeah, I have quite a large collection of astrea shells on my sand bed now... I even cleaned the last batch up in September! they were doing a pretty good job at eating algae but are much thinner in numbers now..

on a more positive note I haven't seen any cyano in over a month! I had gotten it down to just a couple of spots here and there, then I dosed 1/2 teaspoon of sugar and it zapped all traces out.. pretty nifty trick.

[Kinetic]

I've never been able to count on a clean up crew to cleanup the messes. I've always needed more steps rather than a clean up crew to fix the problems.

I see them more as cool inverts to keep in the tank, sustained on random byproducts in the tank.

More flow, minimize buildup of anything, better skimming, is probably much more effective than dumping more and more inverts into the tank.

I've yet to get all my snails to keep the glass crystal clean how I"d like it =X

[DurTBear]

Art, I totally know what you mean. I have to constantly use the mag-float to wipe the glass. Might have to invest in some more snails although I also don't want them to die since wiping it once a week isn't really that much of a hassle. But I am starting to see a little hair algae.

BTW, do you still have any of those bright orange monti caps? You can PM me since I don't mean to hijack this thread.

Getting back to this thread, what's that sugar trick?

[revenant]

OK... seems reasonable.. I guess keeping up with the baster on the LR might be better than adding more inverts.. in addition to what I mentioned I have been skimming wet and rinsing my frozen foods really well... maybe I need new halid bulbs? my current Reeflux 12k's are a year old.. time to change them? I thought I could go a 18 months.. or is that not the case?

Oh, the sugar trick.. well, it's not for everyone, but it worked for me.. I guess it allows one type of bacteria to dominate which starves out the cyano.. or brings the nitrates and phosphates down a lot.. (?) I guess it's dangerous because if you get a lot of the other bacteria dep on the sugar you are dosing and then stop dosing you can have a mini cycle due to die off of that colony.. or if your nitrates hit zero the nitrifying bacteria dies off.. which would really suck.. anyways, I just did one dose and because I had cured the root causes of my cyano it was enough to zap it.. but now I have the hair algae. ugh! if it's not one thing, it's another!

edit: I guess it's possible the sugar catalized this hair algae cycle.. ? hrm..

[DurTBear]

Oh cool...thanks for the tip. Good to know. Probably won't try it out of fear but if cyano ever gets to be a bigger problem, it's good to have that in the arsenal.

[Kinetic]

yeah no need to sugar / vodka dose etc yet. I'd say pinpoint where your nutrient traps are and if there's absolutely no other way, then look into dosing sugar / vodka etc.

[revenant]

I think my issues are caused by increased feeding.. I have two new young/small clowns, have had for a while now.. I had to cut my flow down so they could cope in my tank and my blue tang is becoming soooo agressive that the only way I can get them enough food is to put a lot of food in the tank.. I think I need to get the tang out.. it's getting too big and it's getting really agressive at feeding time.. it eats almost all the food before anyone else can.. grr.

[Alexis]

www.ipsf.com

they always look like the have nice things for a refug.