Clean Up Crew Recommendations - 55 Gal

[roypersson]

Hello,

New to saltwater fish tank keeping and Manhattan Reefs.

Cycled my 85 pounds of live rock and 30 pounds of live sand for three months.

Dropped in three damsels (blue chromis) which have been acting mysteriously shy (this behavior normal?) but still fiesty, eating, and alive for three days. PH, Ammonia, Nitrite levels are all very good. Nitrate picked up a touch but is still definitely lower than 10ppm.

When I put in the damsels I put in a Kenya Tree frag. Color not disipating and seems all right. Started treating the tank with Iodine, Calcium and other reef amino acid supplements. So far so good I'd say.

Tiny problem.... now that I actually have coral in the tank I have to run my T5 light. (Currently running them for 10 hours during the day - is that good?) But now that I am running lights I'm getting alagae creep - not bad but annoying to clean. I'm already running two Koralia 1050 GPH pumps so I know I've got good water movement.

Which leads me to the inevitable. A clean up crew!

So the purpose of this thread (with the addition of those other questions in brackets) is to find out what kind of clean up crew I should get and how many.

Snails?
Crabs?

How many?

My long term goal for this tank is to be a reef tank. With a clown and about 2 or 3 other fish.

Hope you have enough info!

Thanks,

Roy

 

[Jzhou]

Nassirus Snails and scarlet and blue leg hermits are good. But it would be easier if you told us the size of your tank and how long you have had it set up before people can give you any better advice. T5 is normally good enough for reefs, but at the same time it would be easier if we knew how many bulbs you were using, what type of bulbs, if you are using individual reflectors and what type of coral you are planning on keeping.

 

[Jzhou]

as of now, you don't really need to dose calcium. I would recommend getting a few test kits by salifert and also some books.

 

[roypersson]

My light is : coralife aqualight high output T5 dual lamp 48" light.
http://www.petmountain.com/product/a...re-double.html

Skimmer is : Coralife 65 gallon

Pumps are: 2 1050 Koralife

I've got test kits. But I need to buy some that test magnesium and a few other reef specific things.

So how many of these things do you recommend?

I see turbo snails as the mainstream offering in all stores. This isnt the Nassirus Snails you mention I assume.

Thanks,
Roy

 

[Alex]

what does the algae look like?, you may have diatoms. also what are your water parameters at the moment? tank size? what are you trying to accomplish with the dosing of amino acids? as for the iodine, unless your testing for it you should not be adding it to your tank. not to mention that you don't need it at the moment. As for your calcium, have you tested your levels?

 

[roypersson]

Yes I tested the calium levels and they are low - cant recall the exact level - tested it a few days ago.

I'll discontinue Iodine.

The Amino Acids are recommended for coral care. According to the package its supplemental to coral diet.

My phosphate levels are near 0. as well as Ammonia and Nitrite. Nitrate is less than 10. PH is in a good range (somewhere in the low 8). Tank size if 55 gal - sorry i put it in thread title.

Also what is Carbonate Hardness really mean to my tank? The level is very low. Calcium is just low.

Thanks,
Roy

 

[Jzhou]

What brand of test kits are you using and also what is the brand of salt?

 

[Jzhou]

From what you mentioned, I don't really see anything that uses up calcium.

 

[Jzhou]

http://www.reefecosystems.com/reef-...-parameters/calcium-alkalinity-and-magnesium/

 

[Alex]

when you do a water change all of the items that you are adding will be replaced. what do you have in your tank that the calcium is in such demand, your levels should be between 420 and 450, this is a preference as most reefers have higher levels. Here's an articule that should help out;

http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/rhf/index.php

 

[roypersson]

Very nice!

Instant Ocean Synthetic Sea Salt for Saltwater Fish Tanks
API Saltwater Marine & Reef Master Test Kits.

 

[JonnyJ]

i think you should hold off on adding anything to the tank until you read a little more.

you do not currently need to dose that tank with anything. like stated above - water changes will replenish everything you need to sustain life in your tank.

your light cycle is too long. I would run a total of 8 hours.

your algae problem can be a number of things. if its diatoms its normally the result of a new tank. it also can be from the stuff you are dosing.


if you have any questions feel free to pm me

 

[e.muehlbauer]

Astrea snails (conical in shape) are sold most frequently, and cheaply...although they are usually labelled "turbo" snails. I have found them to be the most long lived of any of the algae eating snails. True Turbo's have rounded shells and can get much larger. They are effective, but not long lived in my experience. Trochus snails are occasionally seen. Also conical, like Astrea's, but much prettier, and faster moving. Unfortunately, not hardy at all in my experience. For practical purposes, I'd say go with mostly Astrea's....they are also the cheapest. Don't spend extra $$ on "golden" Asrea's...they are pretty for a few weeks, then get covered in coralline and look like any other snail. Remember to acclimate them slowly. For general scavenging, cerith and Nassarius snails are the most commonly used. They remain buried much of the time, and come out when food is available, although they also climb the glass. I use Ilynassa snails (basically the local "nassarius") that I collect in Peconic Bay. They are very hardy and live a long time. While some people say not to get hermits, I wouldn't consider a tank without them. They are entertaining, and small ones have never caused damage...while some say they attack snails, I have only seen that happen with dying or weakened snails. Blue legs and scarlets are the most common. I prefer scarlets because they are beautiful and very long lived. Blue legs don't last long. The larger electric blue hermits are beautiful, but grow larger and can be destructive, knocking things over.

 

[Jzhou]

Personally I prefer electronic monitors because I'm pretty lazy. But occasionally I will use salifert test kits to see if my monitors are giving me the right readings and such.

 

[roypersson]

Excellent post! this is great information. I will keep these things in mind on my next trip to the pet store!