Bottom Cleaners

[Something Fishy]

Need some advice on some bottom cleaners. Tank specs:

55 gallon, 3 inch of sand/coral, 30 lbs of LR and 25 of dry reef rock.

Right now lives 2 false clowns.

What would be some good bottom cleaners? Would they be ok to add to a fairly new tank ( 1 month old).

All levels still very good, salinty is at 1.025.

Thanks for any help.

 

[Maxx]

I like snails and hermit crabs....
Dont buy turbo snails, they are very clumsy and can knock over corals or anything else not cemented in place.
Smaller hermits in greater quantity are better than larger hermits in fewer numbers.
Nick

 

[ReefLady]

I'll beat Wit to the punch:

Crabs are evil.

If you get a mix of hermits and snails, eventually you'll end up with just hermits.

I recommend cerith snails, Trochus snails, nassarius snails, a fighting conch, maybe a serpent star (NOT a green brittle) and skipping the hermits.

T

 

[Curtswearing]

I know you are thinking about adding brittlestars. The green ones are particularly agrressive so they must be fed. However, for the most part, brittlestars are a good bottom feeders.

What do you think?

 

[ReefLady]

Brittlestars are good bottom feeders, however the green ones get very large and begin eating fish. There are better options.

T

 

[NaH2O]

Originally posted by Travis
I'll beat Wit to the punch:

Crabs are evil.

I'll second this remark. However, if you do choose to have some hermit crabs, then be sure to keep extra empty shells in the tank for them to grow into. I've seen many shell battles - crab vs. crab and crab vs. snail. I believe the least aggressive of hermits is the scarlet - someone varify please?

A variety of snails will be helpful. Travis basically covered all the snails I was going to suggest. The nassarius snails are great for a sand substrate.

Green Brittle Stars, Ophiarachna incrassata, should be avoided. Although they can be spot fed, you are taking a chance on it hunting your livestock - be it snails or fish. I've also seen them listed as Green Serpent Stars. It isn't set in stone that they will consume a tank inhabitant, but you need to ask yourself if you are willing to take the chance.

Hope this helps!

 

[wooddood]

i agree on not getting the hermit crabs,those little boogers will eat anything though.

 

[Gina]

My favorite....fighting conch! Ours has done one heck of a job! Stays on the sand bed also.

 

[Something Fishy]

Thanks for the replies. So the green brittle is out of the question. Are any of the rest of the suggestions ok to add at this point?

 

[SaltyQueen]

I have scarlet reef hermits & nassarius snails in my tank... I haven't had any problems with the hermits (yet). I'd really like to get a queen conch, though!

 

[Curtswearing]

Probably---but not all at once. Each time you add a little bioload to your tank, you will experience a mini-cycle. That's why you add a little, wait a bit, add a little more, wait a little, etc.

Give us your Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate levels.

 

[jimeluiz]

Travis said: "If you get a mix of hermits and snails, eventually you'll end up with just hermits." (How DO you get those nifty quote insets?)

I second this. EVERY time I add turbo snails they are yanked out of their shells by the hermits. And not always to get the new home. Our sandbed is a graveyard of empty shells. We have added more shells of varying sizes, but I guess the hermits think the 'grass is greener' in the OCCUPIED shell. And there is always a Coliseum-like floor battle going on between the hermits.

 

[BigReepher]

I agree that crabs are evil, but not all of em. Scarlet hermits get along fine with snails, they're herbivores. All other crabs are evil. I like nassarius and cerith snails myself, althought Scarlet hermits are my favorite. Anyone ever heard of a mated pair of scarlet hermits? I have two scarlets (out of 20 or so)who are never more than an inch or two away from each other. I've seperated them and they always hook back up and hang out. Ever heard of this before?

 

[gaubow]

i won't be getting crabs again until someone shows me that there are no other options to do their jobs. I watched one crab, and I wish I could tell you what kind, but he was big, crawl up and over all of my live rock as if in some kind of crab gallop, just to eat a brand new turbo snail that I had just put in!!! Once I saw this and realized that he had already killed my other one... I... well... I'd rather not say... let's just say that was his last meal in my tank.

 

[Gina]

We have 2 Sally lightfoot crabs and from what I have been reading around here it appears that we have just been lucky with our selection. Our crabs don't bother anything but, just pick on the rock all day. Ever since I heard other peoples stories of just how evil they can be, I have been watching ours real close. But, so far, they are model citizens. We have had them since last August. If anything does change....so will there living quarters.

 

[fidojoe]

I used to have zebra hermits when they were babies, and they were great, then all but one died off, so I got 10 more blue legs, and 10 reef hermits (they're brown, but unsure of what kind they are). I never had any problems with the crabs, then the zebra grew to almost an inch, and started going after my snails, and even lunged at fish from the rock structure! The bluelegs and reef hermits were all fine, but I still took them all out to prevent any otehr risks, now they all reside in mwrager's 90 gal FO (if they managed to escape the puffer and trigger) One reef hermit did manage to hide from me while I was removing them, but he stays in one small area of the tank, and doesn't bother anything, so he'll stay...for now.

I'd say go all snails, but its up to you.

 

[Something Fishy]

Thanks for all the replies. It looks as though I may start looking for some snails. Kinda hard to decide though. More reseach here I come.