Clean Up Crew For a 20G FOWLR

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cockroach

cockroach

Goliath Tigerfish
MFK Member
Jul 28, 2005
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Taiwan
I am starting to redo my small marine tank again after a few 'mishaps' and I am looking for a good clean up crew.

I have a 20gal with lots of live rock and a 13gal sump. So far I have a blue devil (Chrysiptera cyanea) and a yellow damselfish (Pomacentrus moluccensis). I also have two skunk cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis).

In know i need some snails. How many and what else would help with the house work.

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go to bluezoo's invert section and you'll find good deals on cleanup crews...

~ocean
 
Thanks but I was actually looking for species and numbers so I could go to a shop locally and get them.
 
One or two bigish zebra turbo snails would probably be sufficient to keep down that brown algae (they are tenacious feeders and get fairly large comparatively) + some red or blue legged hermies (10 ish?) would be an good for the scraps of food. Not really a clean up crew per say but a feather duster worm would be cool to add.
 
10 hermit hey? That many? Is there anything else I can use to have more of a variety?

Thanks for the help.
 

Lytechinus variegatus (green urchins) are pretty good grazers. I've had pencil and black longspine as well but they weren't as lawn mower-y from my observations but they are pretty.

I don't really have much experience with the smaller species of snail, I've just stuck with the turbo for fear providing my trigger with expensive escargot nuggets, maybe someone whose kept the smaller ones can chime in on which you should buy.

Emerald crabs are an option too. I don't think ten hermies would be too many, they are tiny little guys.
 
I would do 20 cerith snails, 20 nassirus snails, no hermit crabs or crabs, and your good and maybe 2 abalone snails for good measures

mr.reef24
 
^ yeah... sea cucumbers are good but they do have posion...
 
Some of those creatures mentioned above I have never seen in the marine shops here. I have tried cucumbers before but didn't like them.

Went to my favourite marine LFS yesterday and spoke to the girl there. After chatting to her i took home a few thingies. I got 2 small turbo snails (about 3/4" across), an Orange Sea Star (Echinaster sp.)i assume it's this one and one small lawn mower blenny(Salarias fasciatus), about 1.25".

So 2 skunk cleaner shrimp
2 turbo snails
an orange sea star
a lawn mower blenny

How's that sound?
 
you'll still need more snails algae can creep up so quick and only 2 snails can't maintain it alone.

mr.reef24
 
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