A Guide to Clean-Up Crews

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arpy

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Jun 2, 2007
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Chesterton, IN
Cerith snails should be sold with a warning sticker... I ordered 6 of them from my LFS (they don't keep them in stock, and I think I know why now...). The smallest out of the batch was about 1.5" with the largest being 2.5" or so (larger than the info I read stated). Within the first several hours of having them in the tank, I had to rescue 3 of them that fell off rocks getting stuck upside down. If they don't land near a rock or glass, they're stuck :shakehead: .

Now a day and a half after adding them, I have had to flip one over no fewer than 10 times :wall: . I travel quite a bit for work, so I am guessing these will soon be big new homes for my hermits. I am giving at least one to a friend... assuming at least one makes it through the next week while I'm gone.

I haven't checked with the LFS yet to see if I can trade them back in for something - but again, they don't keep them in stock, so I won't hold my breath.
 

arpy

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Jun 2, 2007
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Chesterton, IN
Well, they seem to be doing better now... maybe they just weren't used to their new home yet - they would just pull into their shell and sit there for hours. Now they will push sand until they can get upright - brilliant! :idea:
 

wferr337

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May 26, 2007
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Sand sifting stars

I found 2 sand sifting Stars (tiger I think) at my LFS 2 for $20. I picked them up then read some things about them eating everything in the tank and then starving.

I have a 46 galon, with 80# live sand, and 20 # live rock, false perculated, spiny sea urchin, 5 red hermet, 10 snales, and cleaner shrimp. Will they starve? Should my LFS only sold me one for my size tank? What do you think?:help:
 

ricsreef

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Jun 22, 2007
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Louisville,Ky
Hi Liz,I know this is off the subject,but I noticed you have a Mandarin with a Moray Eel ,I too have a 12" long Snowflake Eel and I was afraid to add even a large Mandarin for fear he would be eaten.Any Advice?
 

VickyH

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Mar 7, 2007
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Medway, Kent
sea urchin warning!

I bought a beautiful sea urchin just like the one pictured earlier in this thread and was also impressed by how well it cleaned the tank, a few weeks on though he had to go back to lfs. It was just too efficient in my tank, the rock had been stripped clean and my algae blenny was not happy! They may be better in bigger tanks but I wouldn't recommend one for a small tank, even my coralline algae seemed to be disappearing.
 

Almondsaz

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May 26, 2007
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The key to the effectiveness of the cleanup crew is balance. I would not get two sandsifting stars unless I had a really big tank. I have one in a 70 but waited 6 months so that there would be enough for him to eat and stay healthy. Sea urchins are also a curious lot. I don't take to thelong spine urchins for a reef tank, only the tuxedo urchin. The pencil and "spined" urchins are too distructive to the aquascape. I also belive that when the long spines move around the upset the softies by poking them as they travel in the tank. Just my opinion. I also believe that many stores, sites want you to have an enormous amount of memebers of your cleanup crew. For me, it worked much better to add qty in waves. Fewer in the begining and then as the algae builds up I added more - that is just what has worked for me.

I am glad to know that there is a snail that helps with cyano...most of the time you read "adjust your flow". I can't even begin to count how many times I have adjusted the flow - I have stopped chasing flow for now.
 
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