the clean up crew

clare bear

clare bear

AC Members
Apr 3, 2007
72
0
0
44
bedford, bedfordshire
hi, how many snails, crabs do you think i should have for a 190L tank?

i have 3 turbo snails
5 small hermit crabs
and cleaner shrimp
also a big shiny shelled snail, (i dont know what its called)

what else do you suggest for cleaning the tank + fish?

clare
 
for americans, 50 gallons :)
 
Leave it alone, if you notice any algae research what will eat it and buy one or two. All tanks are different and even if you and I use the same salt, additives, maintnence routine, we will still have different problems there is no set crew. You have a good base now wait and see what you need next.
 
I think I leave my lights on a little long (turn them on before work, but like them on a few hours after I get home) and my water is a little warm (stupid thermostat on heater not working correctly), so my tank has been making lots of algae.

I have about 30 snails in my 55g right now, though, so the tank stays pretty clean.

But he's exactly right: You need as many as you need. Too many and they run out of food, too few and the tank is dirty all the time.

Sounds like you've got a good start, though.
 
jojo22 said:
Leave it alone, if you notice any algae research what will eat it and buy one or two. All tanks are different and even if you and I use the same salt, additives, maintnence routine, we will still have different problems there is no set crew. You have a good base now wait and see what you need next.
Click to expand...
agreed with jojo...just add as seems needed.
 
The other thing to be careful of is that many cleaning crew members are particularly adept at hiding. Here are two cases in point:

1. Snails- I have bought about 5 snails of various types for my 55 gallon tank. A couple of days after I put them in, I saw only 1. I thought that it was a little strange and got a couple more. I didn't know that they only come out at night. They were either buried or hiding in the rock. Thankfully I didn't end up buying a bunch more.

2. Conch- My conch disappeared for a couple of months. I thought my puffer had eaten him. Turns out, he was buried in the sand.

Be patient when adding. You don't want to end up with a tank of dead snails or hermits because you overdid it on the cleaners.
 
No you don't that's why I suggested that they be added as needed, if there is an algae problem then the clean up crew is obviously not doing their job so you need to beef up the crew!!
 
one snail will not cause a spike.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom