Cleaner Crew

[newdamsel]

Hi all, I've finished cycling my 2 ft tank and now is trying to intro some cleaning crew into my tank cause there seems to quite some diatom around. I've just bought astrea snails and hermit crabs (dark red with orange joints). Anyone know what name it is and is it reef safe??? Anyway the moment i left the tank for awhile and when i come back, one of the hermit had killed a snail and take over its home~!!! Will all my snails get eaten my those crabs eventually?? What other compatible cleaners can i add?? Shrimps too~~

Thank you guys~!

[Achilles Tang]

I think the blue-legged hermits are more reef-safe than the red-legged ones.

There is a variety of red-legged ones which come very small... i think those are reef-safe. Are yours very tiny?

But I find that hermits are more trouble than they are worth.

Forever knocking my corals over. But they don't seem to attack snails except once in a very blue moon. Either that or they were cleaning a recently departed snail.

They do however need empty shells (bigger than their current one) as they will outgrow and change 'clothes'. Sometimes they will kill each other to take over the shells.

I have 2 in my tank now and I used to follow the americans who say you must have X no. of hermits for X no. of gallons.... that's rubbish IMO.

If you have enough herbivourous fish like tangs you don't need too many hermits or snails.

Snails are good for cleaning glass walls.

[Bluebeard]

the blue/black leg hermit crab will also attack snails, i just saw it this morning, very violent!!

hey where u got the dark red with orange joints? i also want to get some, how much is it?

i got my blue/black hermit crab from lor halus at $3 each. Hong Leong got orange/black one for $8, 3 for $20!

[newdamsel]

Mine is bought at hong leong 3 for $20~!! I got my dad to buy it... whats the normal price? I think its the same one that you've saw, when i switch off my white light, leaving the blue light only the damn dark red is black~... The shell is purple in colour right?

The murderer hermit is head over heels over yet another snail.. clinging onto it trying every possible way to pry it away from the glass~!

Achilles, its possible for me to keep a tang in my 2x1x1 tank meh? I like to have a yellow tang very much... but I've read that its not really recommended What do you think?

What are some recommended beautiful cleaner shrimps besides those red stripes running along the body kind?

[Bluebeard]

Mine is bought at hong leong 3 for $20~!! I got my dad to buy it... whats the normal price? I think its the same one that you've saw, when i switch off my white light, leaving the blue light only the damn dark red is black~... The shell is purple in colour right?

The murderer hermit is head over heels over yet another snail.. clinging onto it trying every possible way to pry it away from the glass~!

ya that's the way my hermit crab try to murder my snail too!!!! it's shell even knock onto the tank and make some noise!!!

the shell should be any colour since it's any shell the crab can find. so you got 3 murderer hermit crabs? hehee.. i don't mind exchange my blue one with yours! heeheheh

[Achilles Tang]

Achilles, its possible for me to keep a tang in my 2x1x1 tank meh? I like to have a yellow tang very much... but I've read that its not really recommended What do you think?

What are some recommended beautiful cleaner shrimps besides those red stripes running along the body kind?

No, not recommended. Tangs really need a lot of space. Put them in a goldfish bowl and they will die very fast.

It's like putting a cheetah in a cage.

And if you buy a baby tang... baby tangs are not recommended as they seldom adapt as well as the adults do.. meaning at least 3 inches long for the body (excluding tail)... but even that is no guarantee...

Those are the skunk cleaner shrimps.

Other recommended cleaner shrimps are the coral banded shrimp or the blood/fire shrimp. One is very fierce and can attack fanworms and small fish. The other is very very shy and unless you put it in a big group, they won't venture out. They are also very expensive.

[chanbi]

Why not try a small blue tang? It is easily available in the LFS (~1 inch). I used to have one in my 2' tank. But just take note that it can grow pretty fast (they eat quite a bit) and mine become ~3" after 6mths. And since i move it to a 4' tank.

[chanbi]

So back to this topic.. From the feedbacks:

1. Blue hermit crab is reef safe but tend to be clumsy and at time kill snail.

2. Sand sifting star/goby/jawfish will eat the DSB creatures.

So what should be used then for DSB? Without such critters, the sand will turn brown/green and look quite ugly?

[Achilles Tang]

If you don't want to use the above... just make sure your bristleworm and pod populations have a chance to grow. Don't get gobies, shrimps or wrasses that love them to wipe them out. Grow them in a refugium, enough will get into your main tank.

They will do the job for you.

Try to get hold of a brittlestar but get the reefsafe type. Some are known to catch small fishes when they are asleep.

[newdamsel]

No, not recommended. Tangs really need a lot of space. Put them in a goldfish bowl and they will die very fast.

It's like putting a cheetah in a cage.

And if you buy a baby tang... baby tangs are not recommended as they seldom adapt as well as the adults do.. meaning at least 3 inches long for the body (excluding tail)... but even that is no guarantee...

Those are the skunk cleaner shrimps.

Other recommended cleaner shrimps are the coral banded shrimp or the blood/fire shrimp. One is very fierce and can attack fanworms and small fish. The other is very very shy and unless you put it in a big group, they won't venture out. They are also very expensive.

All is calm for now, I think the hermit attacked the snail coz it wants to change its shell....

My eventual setup (i hope) is a reef tank. My tank is 15 galloon. depth of tank is only 30cm. Fan cooled at 27~28 degree C. 5kg live rocks, 2.5 inch of coral chips as sand bed 1 15w 6500k FL 1 15w actinic. Currently I already have a blue damsel (yellow tail = male), 4 astrea snails and 3 hermit in it already.

How much more bioload can i add?? I want to at least add another clown and a skunk shrimp (not fierce right). Does that mean i can add lesser soft corals? Is there a limit to the number of corals i can add?? Whats the gauge? My lighting wise cannot support Hard ones right? Thanks guys~!

[Tanzy]

newdamsel,

You can add another clown, maybe two and perhaps another two skunk cleaners shrimps. Your lighting seems on the low side. Amount of corals is only limited by space and light(shading).

[hongqixian]

The skunk cleaners will pick at coral mouths to get food if they are not kept well-fed, mine did