Best invert cleanup crew?

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Experiment397

Experiment397

Redtail Catfish
MFK Member
Feb 26, 2010
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Probably the Poly section
So as you probably now I'm setting up a 125 reef. Here's what I have so far for cleanup crew. Tell me what I need to add or take off thanks!
50+ small blue/white tipped hermits
10 nerite snails
10 turbo snails
10 cerith snails
2 brittle stars
3 Halloween hermit crabs
1 sexy anemone shrimp
2 fire shrimp
1 banded coral shrimp
1 tiger cucumber
1 pincushion urchin

Anything I should add? The numbers are just ideas. The tank is 72x18x24" and will mainly have soft corals and anemones. Thnx


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I wouldnt recomend the mix of shrimp, fire shrimp will likely eat the sexy and the coral shrimp (or the other way around generally biggest shrimp wins) so i would switch them all out for either "scunk cleaner shirmp" or just fire shrimp or just coral banded or just the sexy. the Cucumber will eather get to big and starve, or just starve from the begining very slowly, and if they get startled they will "vomit" out their digestive tracks... essentially killing everything in the tank, so though they are interesting they are generally best left in the ocean.

SO summary, mixing shrimp is a risk, I've seen them eat eachother in the past, and cucumbers aren't worth the risk as they can either kill the tank, or just die off slowly.
 
Is there any mix of shrimp out there that's not too risky? (I've been wanting another one but don't want to risk any lives...)

And a thought for the OP, what about a porcelain crab or emerald crab? Aren't both of those reef-safe and fairly well behaved?
 
I heard porcelain crabs would pester anemones. I'll take the cucumber off the list and will I really have shrimp issues in a tank that big? It will have tons of liverock caves for them to hide in


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Purple Porclein crabs host anemones - they live in them. Problem there is the anemone will eventually eat them. Sandsifting Cucumbers are terrible wet pets - go with the pink + yellow cucumber, much better in captivity. Multiple shrimp species don't work, it's hard enuff to get multiples of the same species to live togather let alone another species. Your tank is not that big in relation to the sea more like a toliet bowl. with that being said Mexican Turbos - try no more than 2-3, your tank won't produce enuff food for 10 it's too small. My 210gal houses 4 Turbos anymore and they die off.
Multiple species of hermits won't live togather for long. The blues will kill off the halloweens, been there done that. Stick with Dwarf blue legs. Spiney Torchus snails are pretty cool.
 
KellyFrancis said:
Ok, I have to ask...the anemone doesn't eventually eat the clownfish, right? Why does it eat the crab?
Click to expand...

It depends on the Anemones and the husbandry - the Sebae and Bubbletips that are commonly seen hosting clowns don't get large enuff to eat most clowns were as the Carpet Anemones on the other hand are kinda known for eating the hosting clown. Others that can and do eat clowns under starvation circumstanses are Long Tenticles and Purple Hatians to name a common few. Feeding the anemones Shrimp and Silversides at least twice a month and proper lighting is a must with anemones for the security of the hosting clown. Unfortunately for Anemone Crabs and Shrimp they are an anemones natural diet, when hungery, they get eaten. Anemone shrimp and the purple porcelin crabs don't get very big at all maybe a quater the size of the amount of meat anemones are fed every other week. Hermit crabs are another issue with hosting crabs and shrimp - they'll tear'm up if they get their claws on them. Good new is they are cheap - so enjoy the relationship while it lasts and buy another when it's over.

The hosting is more an immunity thing, clowns, certain species of damsels, shrimp, and crabs have this. Anemones have toxins they use to hunt prey. If the anemones hungry enuff it'll feed on whatevers at hand - they are NOT 100% Photosynthetic they are predatory creatures.
 
So now I'm looking at 50 blue/white hermit crabs
10 cerith snails
10 nerite snails
2 turbo snails
1 pink yellow cucumber
1 fire shrimp
2 purple porcelain crabs
5 spiny trochus
And im now looking at 1 electric eye scallop

Anything else? I will have around 4 anemones, probably 1 bubble, 1 long tentacled, 1 saddle, 1 carpet. So hosting for the crabs will be no issue.


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