Mini Clean-up Crew

[dilbert]

Hi all,

I am not really cycling a 15 gallons tank anymore as ammonia went down from initially 0.5 ppm to 0 in a week but I am now trying to get my ph stable and I am feeding only the live rock, in particular a small tube worm that came as a hitchhiker. That means that I throw some fish flakes, seeweed, and some liquid plankton from a bottle into the tank, everyday.

I still have the meagre 15 W tube on top of the tank and I am not sure if I am adding another lamp holder and maybe get some mushroom at the time.

Otherwise, there should be probably 2 clownfish in the tank, eventually, and the clean-up crew should consist of 2 scarlet shrimp and 2 turbo snails.

Are those shrimp and snails enough to cope with a 15 gallons tank in principal or is an important species missing?

Otherwise, I would refrain from all other species and only react if a problem would need attention. Regarding the motto: if it ain't broken don't fix it.

 

[fiskkeeperpro]

in my 15 gal tank, i have 2 cerith snails, 3 hermits, 2 turbo snails, 2 nassurius snails and 2 cleaner shrimps. Although i think i should get some more CUC. Its a personal preference to you with what you would like, if your tank stays clean with what you have/ are going to get then keep with that.

Will

 

[chrissaysyes]

He's right as far as personal preference goes, but in a 15 gallon Im going to say that you'll probably want to do atleast 5 (I'd do 10) blue legged hermits, and around 8 nassarius and 8 astrea snails...that's just me. Just keep in mind that the cleaner shrimps are called cleaners because they clean fish, not rocks and substrate. You wont have to worry about algae so much with a full crew of snails and crabs, and uneaten food will never be a problem.

 

[xxBarneyxx]

In my 15g I "had" two turbo snails, one other snail and an orange legged hermit and they seemed to do a pretty good job of keeping the rocks and glass clean (they never touched the sand though). there are about 4 crabs in there that where hitchhikers.

Sadly the hermit killed the snail I didnt know the name of (my fault for not giving him enough shells) and I think I killed a turbo when I moved him off a rock I was moving (I did it very gently but then he didnt move after that and I came in the next day to find a crab eating it).

I have noticed the difference since the second turbo died but I think I could probably do ok with 2 turbos, a couple of hermits and something to keep the sand turned over.

 

[dilbert]

Sadly the hermit killed the snail I didnt know the name of (my fault for not giving him enough shells)

This is what concerns me, too. Fortunately, they are nice little creatures that are peaceful and reef-compatible ... Imagine they would be not ...

I reckon those crabs will be the last thing I would be buying.

 

[chrissaysyes]

hermits are a pretty important part of a fully functioning CUC

 

[xxBarneyxx]

Sadly the hermit killed the snail I didnt know the name of (my fault for not giving him enough shells)

This is what concerns me, too. Fortunately, they are nice little creatures that are peaceful and reef-compatible ... Imagine they would be not ...

I reckon those crabs will be the last thing I would be buying.

I'm sure if I had given him more shells to pick from he would have left the snail alone so it was completely my own fault. he is one of the most interesting things in my tank as well

 

[chrissaysyes]

Unless he wasnt getting enough food.