!!! Cleanup crew !!!

[saleen2881]

HELLO i have a 90 gallon reef tank and it has benn set up for about 1 year now. over the past month my sand has brown algae on it also i have hair algae and red slime so i think it is time to get a clean up crew! i am not sure what i need to get any info will help ! how many of each do i need and what the names are ? is there any snail crab or any thing involved with a clean up crew not reef safe becuse were i buy my stuff there is no one to tell me whats what so i want to know what is bad for my tank!
thank you for the help!!

[saleen2881]

would i aclimate them like i would with my fish and coral?

[Mavrk]

IMO no crab is 100% reef safe (even hermits and mithrax). That is not to say you can't put them in there, just that there is always the risk.

I would get some Nassarius snails, cerith snails, and nerite snails.

How many is a question asked a lot around here and opinions vary. The amount also depends on if you like seeing snails or not. Most CUC packages are a little large IMO.

I personally really liked the service and price from reefcleaners.org (http://reefcleaners.org/)

I would say that the 20 gallon package thing they have is a good place to start. You could go bigger to save a few dollars, but you can always add more later.

[Mavrk]

would i aclimate them like i would with my fish and coral?

Depends on where you get them from. Normally I would say yes. But if they are mailed out to you, then the waste buildup might warrant just floating them and putting them in.

[saleen2881]

i have about 150 pounds of live rock and 100 pounds of live sand just to let you know!

[saleen2881]

any more help from any one please ?

[patsfan1130]

I would go with the 40g package from reefcleaners.org

[Mavrk]

I would go with the 40g package from reefcleaners.org

haha... take the middle ground then and go with th 30g package :D I have close to the 50g package in my 90, but I don't mind seeing the dwarf ceriths everywhere. Like I said, it depends on what you like visually.

edit: actually one of my favorite snails is the Trochus snail. They are great for everything and have a nice look to them. Speaking of nice look, the Virgin Nerites have really nice colored shells. Turbo snails are also often recommended, but they can knock over frags.

[saleen2881]

ok thank you for the help!

[CorkPullerPHL]

You must address the underlying problem. To have several different types of algae growing strong, there must be a nutrient problem in your tank.

In my experience CUC's only help with maintenance of a tank that is clean and stable.

Attack the problem and the algae will go away