clean up crew question...

[phunkie99]

I believe its almost time to start purchasing my cleanup crew any suggestions?? I want clams, sps, & anemones in the future so CUC need to be friendly. Any "don't get" will be helpful as well. Thanks

[EdKruzel]

Cucumbers, pods, worms and a variety of snail species; stay away from crabs to include hermits.

[bigginapk]

I recently added a few turbo snails and man did they help !!

[clockwurk]

Yeah turbo snails are awesome.

[phunkie99]

do turbo snails just clean the glass or do they clean rock also?? And how many for a 55gal w/20gal sump??

[bertoni]

I'd probably start with 5-6 Trochus snails, and work from there. Turbo snails are often good, as well, although some get very large. Some Stomatella would be nice, if they're easy to get. A few cerith might be a good complement to the others. Snails tend to have different diets and habitats, so a variety often works well.

[BL117]

Turbos will celan the rock though when they get too large they get stuck and die... cleaner shrimp are greate for keeping the rock clean as well as eating extra food. Also depending on the algae some tangs work great at helping take care of that. My yellow tang rarely gets fed and is always busy eating algae off rocks.

[Mavrk]

I am in a similar situation. I am going to get some trochus and cerith snails this weekend. I have a 90 gallon, so I figure I will start with 5 of each and go from there.

If I recall correctly, Stomatella reproduce like crazy which can be good or bad depending how you look at it. They are often hitch-hikers on live rock, so you may end up with some anyway.

I believe turbos have a tendancy to knock things over when they get larger. But they are fast and efficient.

Just remember to acclimate snails and shrimp longer than you might normally do a fish. Drip acclimation is normally recommended for these inverts.