# Clean-up Crew recommendation



## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

My tank is 16-gal FOWLR housing 2 ocellaris clowns, 1 azure damsel, and 1 cleaner shrimp.

When I had only the clowns, I could feed them pellets and they would eat up everything before it hits the substrate. In fact, I think one of my nassarius snails starved to death because of this.

However, the damsel can't eat whole pellets, and the shrimp needs some food to fall onto the substrate, so I feel that I may be over feeding now and have more detritus than before.

I still have one nassarius snail (that I see once in a blue moon), 2 cerith snails, and plenty of brittle stars and bristle worms. I don't know how good of a job they do at cleaning up though.

I'm thinking of adding more cerith snails since I've read that they may eat cyano algae, and I have some in my tank. I've also thought of adding a hermit crab, but I don't want to lose my trochus snail.

Any suggestions?


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## sig (Dec 13, 2010)

http://www.whatsthatfish.com/fish/strawberry-conch/1255

try Strawberry conch, they are really good and despite we share difficult political views, I can give you one for free, but you should visit me. I am at steeles and bathurs.

If you are interested sent me PM and I will replay with my address. If you do not have any corals, emerald crab can help, but I just cooked my yesterday (started to make problems with corals and small snails)

http://www.whatsthatfish.com/fish/strawberry-conch/1255

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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

Thanks for the offer, I appreciate it! However, I don't think my tank is big enough for it? I've read that they need 1 to 2 square feet of sand per inch of shell.


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## notclear (Nov 5, 2011)

Definitely not big enough for a strawberry conch. In my 160G tank, I only have one strawberry conch for the substrate cleanup and I say it is enough already!


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## sig (Dec 13, 2010)

notclear said:


> Definitely not big enough for a strawberry conch. In my 160G tank, I only have one strawberry conch for the substrate cleanup and I say it is enough already!


 

I have 5 in 120 and they all OK for a months. Probably, I have more food for them in the tank

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## PACMAN (Mar 4, 2010)

lol the link says:



> They feed nocturnally on fish, invertebrates, sponges, algae and ascidians.


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## Greg_o (Mar 4, 2010)

sig said:


> despite we share difficult political views, I can give you one for free, but you should visit me


I'm quoting this because it's great.


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## shark (Jan 28, 2009)

blue legged hermits are amazing their small and you wont lose any live stock guaranteed


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

shark said:


> blue legged hermits are amazing their small and you wont lose any live stock guaranteed


Ok, now I'm really tempted to give them a try...


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## Kooka (Feb 8, 2011)

Ya, +1 for the blue hermits. I also like the scarlet hermits, they are bigger and they destroyed any diatoms/cyano I had on my substrate within a week. They really love to sand-sift.
Aquatic Kingdom has really nice ones for .99 cents each.


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

Kooka said:


> Ya, +1 for the blue hermits. I also like the scarlet hermits, they are bigger and they destroyed any diatoms/cyano I had on my substrate within a week. They really love to sand-sift.
> Aquatic Kingdom has really nice ones for .99 cents each.


Do blue legs also eat cyano, or is that only red legs?


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## Kooka (Feb 8, 2011)

The blue legs also eat it, but I find the scarlet hermits are far more efficient at eating it. They are excellent little scavengers and I recommend them highly.


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

Kooka said:


> The blue legs also eat it, but I find the scarlet hermits are far more efficient at eating it. They are excellent little scavengers and I recommend them highly.


Thanks! Scarlet legs it is!


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## shark (Jan 28, 2009)

solarz said:


> Thanks! Scarlet legs it is!


just called a couple big als stores and brampton has alot of them in stock! make sure u call the store before you go because alot of stores dont have them. How much do you plan on getting?


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

shark said:


> just called a couple big als stores and brampton has alot of them in stock! make sure u call the store before you go because alot of stores dont have them. How much do you plan on getting?


Just one, I'm gonna probably gonna check with SUM.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

If you've got cyano/detrius issues, you can also increase your flow and do WCs to remove it. Adding critters for the detrius won't do anything as once it's detrius, even after the detrius eaters eat it, they'll make more detrius from it 

As for cyano, I'd recommend little hermits too. Entertaining little buggers they are too!


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

I got a red legged hermit over a week ago, and I haven't seen it since I put it into the tank! I even moved the rocks around trying to find it.

Is it dead or just in hiding?


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## teemee (Aug 29, 2009)

I've never known a shy scarlet hermit, but anything is possible.
If you can't find it, though, I'd think it was gone.


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

teemee said:


> I've never known a shy scarlet hermit, but anything is possible.
> If you can't find it, though, I'd think it was gone.


That sucks. 

Any idea on what could have killed it? The tank has been running over a year and it houses 2 clowns, 1 damsel, 1 cleaner shrimp, and a bunch of snails.


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## Jebaidah (Apr 25, 2010)

I had three of these and didn't see them for almost two weeks after putting them in my tank and then one morning I seen two of them. Now they seem to be out all the time.


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

Jebaidah said:


> I had three of these and didn't see them for almost two weeks after putting them in my tank and then one morning I seen two of them. Now they seem to be out all the time.


Mine is still MIA...


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## iBetta (Jun 19, 2011)

could it be that it's molting. mine hide all the time when they molt for a couple of days. one took even a week+! then it crawled out one day with a new shell too! O:
i also have a couple that have a "home", they always hang out in a certain area, cave or even near a coral  lol


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## Greg_o (Mar 4, 2010)

I too added a couple then simply saw no sign of them for weeks. One day out of the blue they were out. Since then have seen em once or twice. Try not to lose faith!


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## Greg_o (Mar 4, 2010)

And just like that, there they are along the glass behind the rock, one has a new shell. Nice legs.


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

I added a few more scarlet leg hermits to the tank, but it looks like most of them died. I can still see one guy that's moving around. I find it baffling that hermit crabs would die when my cleaner shrimp is doing just fine...


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## shark (Jan 28, 2009)

thats strange these hermits are super hardy and i had a coral banded shrimp and it killed 4 of my snails and 3 of my scarlet hermits he scooped them right out of their shells .


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