quickly! I need help deciding a cleanup crew!

[PeejFish]

Hi I've had my 40gal setup for awhile and its running great...so far the only inhabitants are two decorator crabs that I caught in the gulf....but there is this brown sludge that is developing on the LR and I want to clean it up before I add any corals or fish etc. so what kind of snails and hermits if any should I get? I say quickly because I have an appointment and the LFS is right next to it so I need to know before I leave...thanks a bunch!

-PeejFish

[Fenix]

Just get about 10 astra snails and 10 cerith snails. that would be a good start and add more as you need them.

[socalreefer73]

umm nothing in this hobby happens quickly... hahaha
I would reccomend some nassarius and some hermits in place of some of those.. you want more mobile critters to get the food before it can decompose, if you are feeding the crabs... I recomment the little blue leg ones.. I like then and I read somewhere that they have an easier temperment towards snails, but get a few empty shells too.

[socalreefer73]

I also have a 2" trochus snail that is highly mobile(tends to knock shiite over) or you could get a fighting conch too(again, might mow some stuff over)... But both are highly mobile and agile grazers... you can actually see them move verses the time lapse you'd have to do with the ceriths and astra, but you'll still need some of them... just remember, once the brown stuff is all cleaned up, what are they to eat next? (or starve)