Cleanup Crew for SPS tank

[bsk997]

Hi,
I was wondering what everybody would recommend for a cleanup crew for a 180g SPS tank. I currently have 20 astrea snails but looking to add some more?
I think most people stick with astreas and ceriths for sps tanks?
I've never had much luck with either. lol
Also, do you guys use hermits at all?
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks

[ezcompany]

180 gallons??? you need around 200 more snails lol

[jay24k]

For my 180, I did about 75 astreas, 15 ceriths, 15 nassarius, 2 serpent stars, 5 mexican turbos, 1 fighting conch.

Generally, the tank does good for about a year and then I stock up about half each year. I also have about 15 red legs but they never die.

[ClownReef®]

I usually stick with nassarius and astreas. I steer clear from BIG mexican turbos. They knock stuff around..like bulldozers..

Also sand sifting starts are HUGE help.. they do an amazing job keeping the sand bed clean..

[bsk997]

Thanks for the suggestions.
My tank is bare bottom tank. Do you think ceriths would do well?

Hermits bad for sps tank?

[rogergolf66]

I have a couple hundred blue legs, 20 mexican red legs,
5 emeralds, 2 serpents, 50 turbos 100 nass. snails.

I think that is everything.

It is in a 125 display.

I am going to add a sand sifting cucumber soon.

[Rick55555]

Originally posted by bsk997
Thanks for the suggestions.
My tank is bare bottom tank. Do you think ceriths would do well?

Hermits bad for sps tank?

In my opinion ceriths are an underrated snail with fantastic potential as cleanup crew members. Nassarius snails are also great for sand stirring and tend to help with detritus, I believe. I employ both, but typically don't use hermit crabs. Crabs will almost always kill your snails and take their shells. If you do decide to go with hermits, I've found scarlets to be the safest bet. Keeping hermit crabs in a reef is highly debated; they're often termed "opportunistic omnivores."


Rick

[kurplunk]

Sand dollars if you can get a hold of them. I have one in my 135 and it kicks a#$!

[Jeremy Blaze]

Sand sifting stars are bad! They kill your sand bed.

[KEstep]

Originally posted by Rick55555
In my opinion ceriths are an underrated snail with fantastic potential as cleanup crew members. Nassarius snails are also great for sand stirring and tend to help with detritus, I believe. I employ both, but typically don't use hermit crabs. Crabs will almost always kill your snails and take their shells. If you do decide to go with hermits, I've found scarlets to be the safest bet. Keeping hermit crabs in a reef is highly debated; they're often termed "opportunistic omnivores."


Rick

I agree 110 percent.

[Racenrich]

WOW...so many opinions on the clean up crew...
I have a 120g SPS tank....5yrs old this Jan '08.

Clean up crew i have had....

100 + red legs

50+ blue legs

50 + astreas

2 sand sifting stars...(I have to DISAGREE with Blaze...ive had 2 for over 4yrs and i also have a 4in SB, not one problem.)

6 nassarius snails--great for the SB as well.

Overall very good crew for my SPS tank...


ROGER...skip on the cuke....i tried, did very well for about 6 months and then somehow died...killed about a 1/2 dozen SPS in the process, well that's an assumption as to why i had a few die...all happened within a month of the cuke dying....which i never knew did!


HTH

[curthendrix]

Typically anything that "sifts" the sand is eating the very fauna that you need to break down waste. Your tank may be fine for months or even years but they will diminish your life in your sb. I prefer snails and conchs.

[rogergolf66]

Originally posted by Racenrich




ROGER...skip on the cuke....i tried, did very well for about 6 months and then somehow died...killed about a 1/2 dozen SPS in the process, well that's an assumption as to why i had a few die...all happened within a month of the cuke dying....which i never knew did!

Thanks I want a couple conchs but havn't been able to find any local.


HTH [/B]

[acrylic_300]

I've had a tiger cucumber for well over a year and it has split at least once.

I like hermits I have 200 blue legs....they kick a lot of stuff up for the corals to eat.

Tangs are good grazers.

I have more snails than I can count but none that I've added. Most of them are smaller than a fingernail.

5 green emerald crabs. (bulldozers )

1 monster 8 inch black spine urchin that was about 3 inches a few months ago when I bought it. It leaves a sparkling white path everywhere it goes.

[LobsterOfJustice]

For a 180 I personally would get:

30 astrea
30 cerith
15 Scarlet Hermits
15 nassarius
2 or 3 urchins (rock-boring, pincushion, tuxedo, etc)
cucumber if you have a sandbed

Problem with nassarius IMO is that they eat leftover food, which shouldnt be settling out in your tank anyway.

[mr pink floyd]

lobster, so you dont like them eating the stuff that shouldnt be there?

sounds kinda good to me.....

[rogergolf66]

what he means is in a SPS tank the flow should be setup that you don't have any extra food left in the tank.

[LobsterOfJustice]

Yeah. In a properly setup tank there isnt a lot of food for them... otherwise, you either dont have enough flow or you are feeding too much. The other thing is... when they eat the food, it isnt just magically gone... they are producing waste as well. So they arent really doing much help. That said, I still reccomend (and have) a few... just not nearly as many as some others.

[sfsuphysics]

Do you have any problems that warrant a cleanup crew at this point? If it's simply diatoms on the glass chalk that up to your routine maintenance and clean it yourself.

As for an algae problem that's entrenched, one that won't get fixed with anything short of removing everything living. I like trochus snails, sometimes turbos, and small hermits, usually the smaller ones can't mess with the larger snails.

[Randy1]

Would a good clean-up crew clean my sand to the point that I might noitce lower P04 levels or is that a strech?

[rogergolf66]

I think that is a streach but that depth is your sand bed?