clean up crew

[Ty1e]

what's a good clean up crew for a 30gal sps wanabe tank. hermites, snails, emreald crabs, shrimp,etc.

[NeveSSL]

I personally recommend just buying things as you need them.

So as you see algae form, buy whatever is best to eat it (that can live on other things, too, though ;) ). As your needs grow, add more clean up crew members.

Shrimp aren't really clean up crew in the traditional sense (to me, anyway). But they can be entertaining and some of them will eat pests. I do have to say they can be quite amusing, though. My cleaner shrimp has quite a bit of character and every single time I reach into the tank to do something he decides to give me a manicure. :D

If you wanted and you're having algae issues, just add a couple of whatever is available at your LFS or do a small order. Some people recommend buying one of everything per gallon, but I believe thats a bit overkill.

I would personally recommend tri-color hermits (they eat more types of algae and are a bit less aggressive than blue legs, but still affordable), nassarius vibex (to clean your sand), cerith (general cleaning), and astrea (general cleaning).

I may be a bit off, so anyone feel free to correct me. :) But this is just my opinion.

Brandon

[lilfishgirl]

dont get emerald crabs they'll eat your small fish once they get bigger. i have three red craw hermits, one electric blue hermit, one electric orange, one random hermit that hitch hicked in on the live rock, two unidentified flat shell crabs agian hitch hikers of the rock ten left handed hermits and about a dozen snails. this is all in a 33g tank with appx27lbs live rock. just dont get margerita snails apparently they come from colder waters and slowly cook to death in warmer aquariums.

[six.line]

I have a 29 gallon with 15 astreas, 4 turbos, and one cerith. I want to get a few more, I think there's enough algae and rock (40 lbs) to house them.

As for crabs, I just get your everyday hermit crabs. I don't have too many, only about 8. I also tossed in a bunch of old shells I've accumulated so that they have extras to move into.

As for shrimps, I cannot get over how fun having a cleaner shrimp is. Very cheap, very personable, very bright. I totally recommend those dudes.

[bertoni]

I agree with adding them on an as-needed basis. That said, getting 6-7 Stomatella, if available, would be useful. They eat algae, reproduce in our tanks, and provide food (via spawning). A couple of Trochus might be useful as well.