clean up crew

[Cluanar]

I have a 90 gal populated 21x48x18 in which i recently acquired. After setting it up i notice in a few days a brown dusting on glass.

I swapped out the crushed coral bed for fiji sand, did a 20% water change.

I only checked nitrates and nitrites. Nitrites 0 before and after nitrates 60 before 20 after.

What I think i lack now is a good clean up crew.

I have 2 clowns
regal tang
yellow tang
6 line wrasse
fire shrimp
large brittle star
5-10 snails
5-10 crabs

Do you think the following is a good combo for a sps lps and some fish reef.


1 x Cyano, Hair, Diatoms Beware-Saltwater Clean Up Crew - Ships FREE


1 Lettuce Nudibranch
2 Bumble Bee Snails
30 Cerith Snails
10 XLG Cerith Snails
10 Turbo Snails
10 Blue Leg Hermit Crabs
10 Red Leg Crabs
20 Nassarius Snails


Its $95 for the combo.

Set up: 1 vortech 40mpw ( another on its way )
4 puck AI vega
SWC skimmer in a proflex sump model #4 with 3 socks
I am about to move the skimmer to return chamber ( i have ATO ) and add BB Chaeto refug with some live rock

Thanks

[Cluanar]

no opinions?

[Subsea]

Hermit crabs don’t play well and eventually hermit crabs eat snails.

IMO, the skimmer in unnecessary. As a proponent of natural systems, I see skimmers and filter socks as detriments in a refugium.

[Cluanar]

Hermit crabs don’t play well and eventually hermit crabs eat snails.

IMO, the skimmer in unnecessary. As a proponent of natural systems, I see skimmers and filter socks as detriments in a refugium.Do they eat the snails for the shell use?


My goal is minimum maintenance. I was hoping using a bb refugium with chaeto and a skimmer can help accomplish that. I agree with the socks, I am tempted to remove them altogether. I have to change them every 2-3 days.

[scooter31707]

Hermit crabs don’t play well and eventually hermit crabs eat snails.

IMO, the skimmer in unnecessary. As a proponent of natural systems, I see skimmers and filter socks as detriments in a refugium.

For this reason, I only have snails in my tank.

[Uncle99]

Great to hear....people with just snails.
I fell for this hermit trick years ago and had to,replenished every 4-6 months.
Now that I Banned hermits, 18 months and not one snail loss. Funny, not one fish loss, not one coral death....hum??? Wow, this way better, I can pull the small amount of algae by hand....