Starting a Reef Tank, what clean up crew?

[OnlyOnATuesday]

I'm setting up a reef tank, and wondered what I should use for a clean up crew for a 55 gallon?

My LFS recommended the following:

Red/Blue Algae Hermit Crab
Scarlet Claw Hermit
Zebra Reef Hermit
Black Turbo Snail
Astrea Snail
Trochus Snail
Nassarius Snail
Cerith Snail
Coral Shrimp
Arrow Crab
Peppermint Shrimp

Are these okay for a reef tank? Should I consider different options? What amounts?

 

[TMartinez]

well in my 30 gal I havd 15 red legged hermits, 15 blue legged hermits, 25 astrea snails, 3 peppermint shrimp and a mexican turbo snail and a banded coral shrimp... That was all and it maintained itself quite well

 

[NCStateFisher]

thats a pretty intense cleanup crew on a 30

 

[TMartinez]

Hey it worked well lol

 

[Pazzoman]

You really can't go wrong with the amount of hermits... 1 or 2 per gallon is what I would recommend. In my 72 gallon bowfront tank I have the following:

5 Peppermint Shrimps (Will Be Removed)
30-50 hermits
1- Giant Hermit Crab :O
4- Mexican Turbos
50+ Nassarius
1-Starfish
15+ baby turbo snails..guess they hatched or something
10 margarita snails

If you want to be generous once a week you get a sea weed clip and clip some sea weed and place it in the tank...the turbos/margaritas kill for it...so does my tangs lol

 

[OnlyOnATuesday]

Thanks guys!

I forgot to ask, is there anything on that list I absolutely should stay away from as it is not reef safe?

Also Pazzoman, where can I find sea weed, just at local LFS? I've never seen it before, granted I've never looked for it either.

 

[FLESHY]

Yes, anything other than dwarf hermits, the arrow crab, the coral banded shrimp, and the peppermint shrimp.

I doubt that the two shrimps will even be able to live together, coral bandeds dont clean and are mean. Peppermints rarely clean, and often times will pick at good anemones and lps corals after the aptaisia is gone.

Big hermits are just dozers and can be mean as well.

 

[Pazzoman]

Gotta agree with flesh..the big hermit knocks down rocks....the peppers are getting the boot soon to make room for nudibrances that only eat aiptasis...

Yes, dried sea weed can be found at lfs...don't know which brand is best....you could probably get fresh sea weeds at asian markets which I was recommended were cheaper and better.

 

[jworth]

I wish I didn't have so many hermits in my 125, especially the larger ones. They just knock things over. YUCK. I love Nassarius, cerith and astrea. All 3 stay small and will handle all algae and detritus cleanup. Turbos get big and have short life spans. Maragaritas DO NOT do well in water closer to 80 and most will likely die.

 

[Pazzoman]

What you can do to remove some of the large hermits is place a glass jar into your tank, bait it and the hermits will go in/slide in and can't get out. Make sure you put the jar open top flat on the sand so they could walk in.