what clean up crew?

[browning_boy20]

How many and what kind of snails and crabs would you recommend for a red sea max 130, 34 gallon tank? Reef cleaners says something like 80 snails which to me sounds way to many snails.

Thanks for the help

[MacWilliams]

I would not get that many at one time thats for sure. No website or company can tell you the exact number as your bio load will determine what you need. I would start with around 20 snails OR hermit crabs not both unless you're ok with the hermits killing the snails for their shells. If you notice your algae issue getting worse then get a few more if its going away or staying the same then you're good. If you get too many you will have some die off.

[browning_boy20]

What kind of snails would be best?

[rtecanoe]

I prefer Mexican turbos and banded trochus (both can flip themselves upright again when they fall). The banded trochus can also reproduce in the tank which is pretty cool. Scarlet reef hermit crabs are great too, they tend to leave the snails alone more that any other hermit I've had, in my experience. Like MacWilliams said, add a few of whatever your getting in the beginning, then you can add more later on if you have the algae and such to support them.

[MacWilliams]

I love mexican turbo snails. Just look them up so you know what they look like because LFS will sometimes mislabel snails for mexican turbos. Hermits are great for the tops and under rocks and snails will work those and the glass. I have Astrea / Turbos but i dont like the astrea since they cant flip themselves and become prey to my hermits at times. You need to add some empty shells as well so the hermits can grow into them and will help slow down the snail deaths. Turbos are big enough the snails wont normally mess with them and they destroy the glass algae.

[Asmodean]

Are emerald crabs ok to put in a mixed reef

[Joe0813]

i hate my hermit crabs... im in the process of catching them all and banishing them to the sump. they killed almost all my snails for either the shells or just because they were hungry. and i have plenty of empty shells in the tank.

as for the emerald crabs... they are like hermits and are opportunistic eaters. mine for whatever reason used to pick at frogspawn

[MacWilliams]

My emerald used to hang out under a mushroom but never damaged it. Just hung out and came out in the evenings to forage.

[Mhay]

I despise emerlad crabs. My boyfriend had one in his 29 bio cube and he was pretty cool at first. They we started noticing rumble on the sand bed and finally caught the little sucker chopping up rock and throwing out of his little cave he made. If it was just one cave I don't think we would have minded but a few days later he had another cave going and then another and another. Just constantly picked at the rock and threw it to the bottom.

[eb2292]

Reefcleaners quoted me an insane amount of critters for my clean up crew. It totaled over 100 for my 55 gallon tank. I probably ended up with a fifth of that. More snails then hermits. Mexican turbos are incredible algae eaters. And definitely get a skunk cleaner shrimp. He picks up all the fish pellets that hit the bottom that the fish don't get to.

[E46Twist]

I personally have a mix of snails, small hermits, emerald, and two peppermint shrimp. My snails are the only things that bother coral and they just cruse over my gsp making them hide. My lawnmower blenny( that live brine) is the only thing that has killed a CUC member

[cloak]

How many and what kind of snails and crabs would you recommend for a red sea max 130, 34 gallon tank? Reef cleaners says something like 80 snails which to me sounds way to many snails.

Thanks for the help

In a tank that size, I think somewhere between 3-5 snails would be ok. (turbo or trochus) Maybe one or two scarlet hermit crabs. Don't forget, you can keep the glass & the sand clean all by yourself. A Mag-Float and stirring up the sand bed on occasion can go a long ways. (preferably right before a water change) GL.

[Mael]

well the store I went to yesterday was insanely expensive on crabs and shrimp so I got 2 turbo and 2 cerith as the starter crew for a 46g bow. The cerith buried themselves within 30seconds of hitting the sand and the turbo has a small live rock cleaned in an hour so Im happy. The smaller turbo hasnt done anything as he was ruiding the bigger one all night.

Definitely happy with the work their doing and I can always add more.

[GilliganReef]

In my 40 gallon breeder, I have 2 turbos, 3 astrea snails, and 1 Nassarius snails. I have about 18 red hermit crabs and 5 blue legged crabs. I dont need anymore since my tank glass and rocks stay very clean.

[firebirdude]

i hate my hermit crabs... im in the process of catching them all and banishing them to the sump. they killed almost all my snails for either the shells or just because they were hungry. and i have plenty of empty shells in the tank.

as for the emerald crabs... they are like hermits and are opportunistic eaters. mine for whatever reason used to pick at frogspawn+1 on both.

If you must have both snails and crabs, better make it a 10:1 ratio. Everyone is going to suggest different amounts. Truthfully, nobody is incorrect.....Except retailers who quote you massive amounts to pad their wallets.:furious: It's all going to depend on your load. I say CUC grows with your tank. Start with 5-6 snails and a shrimp. I've never had a shrimp attack any of my snails, but he surely does eat garbage off the rocks. Once you have a well established tank, with all the live rock, few happy fish and coral, add in 8-10 more snails and maybe a red leg crab or two. I'd avoid emeralds.

As for which snails, ehhh, it's tough because most every LFS mislabels their snails. Maybe on purpose, probably on accident. But I will say that it was pretty darn rare to see any of my snails on the rock work. They were glass only critters....

[buffalo123]

Cerith snails pretty much do what they claim to do . drop in food they come out the sand, they good scavengers. I like the mexican turbos also medium to small, i get concern the larger ones don't get enough to eat eventually.

[Xavibear]

I think a good mix key. I have a 36g with cerith, nerite, trochus & nassarius snails. I also have an emerald crab, pistol shrimp, blood shrimp & tuxedo urchin. They all help in keeping my tank clean.

[zoomonster]

Cleaner crews are great but there is a pitfall that people starting new tanks fall into. Some of the critters are for maintenance like sand stirrers and some are problem solvers like eating hair algae, cleaning glass, scavenging etc.. Problem is in a new tank if you fall for the amount most of these places try and push you will have a problem. At the very least there won't be enough food and the crabs will eat the snails and stuff may starve.

I'm starting up a new build and I will start up light and add as I go. Like a lot of people these days I'm starting this with part dead rock and part live rock. In the beginning probably a few of each of

For sand bed brittle stars, Nesarious, Conch

A few red/blue legs for scavenging, eating algae etc.

A few each of a variety of snails like Mexican turbo, Trochus, Astrea etc.

Emerald crab is good if you have some new live rock which likely has at least some bubble algae.

True Peppermint shrimp I've never owned. Here again these are really problem solvers to eat aiptasia if you have it. I've always kept coral banded shrimp and they have done an excellent job of killing bristle worms and eating aiptasia.

As time goes on you add what's necessary to maintain your tank with what's suited for the job. IMO your not really saving money by buying huge cleaner packs because many will starve or get eaten. In my experience Mexican Turbos are the escargot of the crew and the first thing to be chowed on when the crabs get hungry.