Clean-Up Crew

[nic-bass]

After months of research, i'm finally heading towards buying my tank .
It will be a 55 gall. long with live rock, which i will add to over time. I will start with damsels to help the tank cycle, then get a pair of clowns to get more serious with...
Anyways, what will i need in my clean-up crew for a 55 gal.?
Shrimp, snails, crabs and starfish...how many and what kinds?
could you also tell what kind of test kit should I get?
thanks


o yeh, this is my first post

[ignite1402]

welcome to RC

=)

well i'm kinda asking ppl abt tt too.. what the norm recc me is to get cleaner shrimps, turbo snails, reg-legg hermit... try getting it...

so for your tank... is it a RO tank or FO tank?

[nic-bass]

thanks for the quick reply. it will be a fish only tank, until i get more of an understanding for sw.

[ignite1402]

no problem..
fish only tank... dun forget to have some life rocks... it's important for ur fishes to have ample hiding places.... a 55 gal is abt 4 ft if i'm not wrong... i think u can safely get about 4 hermit... 3-4 cleaner shrimps... there are other shrimps but IMO i feel that cleaner shrimps are more useful ( they clean parasites of fishes ). i have a boxing shrimp... he's cute... he looks as if he's constantly ready for a fight.. no wonder the name... LOL

[ignite1402]

what are the fishes u intend to get btw? and pls dun get too much damsels... they'll be a nuisense when they are older..

[nic-bass]

yeh, i heard somewhere that damsels can get aggressive later on, so i dont intend on keeping them too long, but just to cycle it.
i will start with clowns, and maybe a yellow tang later. so for now i dont really know what i want, but know to start with something hardy like clowns and damsels.
and i have read these boards for awhile, and see the "tang police" here and there. so do u guys think one yellow tang would live a good life in a 55 gal.?

[ignite1402]

are you gonna add life rocks? lotsa it?

[nic-bass]

yes, hopefully around 50 pounds, not sure, but will add overtime.
(im on sort of a budget, u know )

[ignite1402]

haha... yeah i totaly understand that.... as long as u are a marine hobbist, there'll be a big big hole in ur wallet... since u are getting live rocks... i suggest u to put in less damsels... they are good hiders... how long will you be running ur water? also if u intend to get starfish, make sure ur rocks are placed firmly... starfishes are scavangers.... they'll force their way thru anything... if ur rock is loose it may just fall and hurt ur fish or even crack ur tank... if u intend to get hermit, make sure u get plenty or empty shells too... as they grow older they will need bigger shells....
hey i recc u to get flame goby... they are real beauty.... u'll love them... they are quite hardy as well

[nic-bass]

goby, yeh, thats the name. i saw those in my lfs the other day, thought it was pretty cool.
u mean how long will i cycle my tank? probly about 5 weeks before i get the big stuff, and damsels after about a week or so to help it cycle.
what do u suggest?

[ignite1402]

yeah.. will do well.. but i do sugg u try to get the rocks in within 2 weeks... it'll be better.... dun rush into getting the fish yet.... though i know how boring it is to see ur tank empty for about 6 weeks.... lol.... be sure to check the level of ur nitrate etc b4 getting the big stuffs in... =)

u can get a group of goby... they do well and esp in a RO tank... they will be super nice in it... preety harmless in every way.. lol

[Aneille]

If your getting LR why use the Damsels to cycle. Just cycle with the LR and if you wanted add a cocktail shrimp.

[ignite1402]

yup... just in case there's a misunderstanding.. the gobys i ask u to get is not for cycling... lol

[Nukeproof]

I agree with Aneille. Just get the uncured live rock and a cocktail shrimp to cycle. The uncured will also save you some money so you could get all the rocks at once. IMO, adding new live rock to an already cycle tank will force it to go through a minnie cycle which you probably don't want.

Another thing is you probably don't want to use damsel to cycle for several reason. One, they get really aggressive and they are fast suckers so you might have to remove all the rock before you can catch them. Second, even though they are hardy and cheap they still are suffering when your tank is cycling.

FWIW, someone told me if you are going to cycle with fish anyway, use a fish that you know you want. That way, you don't have to catch the fish later.

Patrick

[nic-bass]

Well, like i thought i said, i wont be able to get the LR for awhile, maybe a month or two, because i really need to spread out what i spend.

and i know u dont cycle with a goby and all that stuff. i'm not that clueless

[FishMel]

Please don't cycle with Damsels, it's cruel! Besides, you'll regret it when you're trying to catch them later.

[nic-bass]

i've heard differently. but ok


*i wish i could remember my old screen name on here, so i dont get treated like a "newbie" to the boards

[ignite1402]

get the damsel only if u're sure u wanna cont to keep it! =)

[nic-bass]

ok guys, thanks for all the advice.

Umm, do u think we can start talking about the clean-up crew again, please?

[ignite1402]

haha... yeah noticed that we got off topic... i'll be getting a red legged hermit... seems to be the best advice most RC users gave me... getting 2 turbo snails too... wad about you? any idea yet?

[nic-bass]

i was thinkin 2 blue (i think) legged hermits, 5 smaller snails, 2 cleaner shrimp, and maybe a blue linka starfish later on...
something along the lines of that.

[ignite1402]

cool!... that will be great.. bust beware of ur hermit eating the flesh outtta ur snails... lol

[Kirk_M]

Originally posted by nic-bass
yeh, i heard somewhere that damsels can get aggressive later on, so i dont intend on keeping them too long, but just to cycle it.
i will start with clowns, and maybe a yellow tang later. so for now i dont really know what i want, but know to start with something hardy like clowns and damsels.
and i have read these boards for awhile, and see the "tang police" here and there. so do u guys think one yellow tang would live a good life in a 55 gal.?

Damsels: It won't be easy to catch them later on either, without taking a lot or all of your rockwork out. Don't bother with them and go the dead shrimp route.

[Kirk_M]

Originally posted by ignite1402
cool!... that will be great.. bust beware of ur hermit eating the flesh outtta ur snails... lol

Yup, hermits need bigger shells as they grow, and guess where they get them from . I personally do not use hermits or any crabs. Just do a mix of different types of snails, both algae eaters and detritivores.

[mcco0391]

You do not need to have fish in the tank to cycle it, just add live rock that will do all the cycling you need. As everyone else said damsels are mean! Not only are they mean they are a pain in the neck to catch, most of us learn the hard way. If you add fish right away you will most likely kill it anyways, so you end up taking them out dead under some rock or you pull out all the rock to get them out alive, and that is a mess. If you add plenty of cured live rock from a fish store you could go through a small cycle rather a long one with dieing fish. This is an awsome hobby if you have patience to see it all develope. Read on what other people do, it will save you lots of money. Good luck! Dave