Clean-up crew question

[CarmieJo]

I've had my 54 gal AGA reef ready tank set up for about 3 weeks. I used 100# Southdown LS & 30# LR from an established tank and have never had any measurable NH3 or NO2. NO3 is 10. I've put some coral heads that I had from my FO tank back in the 80's in but nothing is growing on them yet. The LR has tons of feather dusters and clams, some vermetid snails and a few small 'shrooms. They are all doing fine. I added 2 hermits after 5 days and a chromis 3 days ago. Neither caused any change in my parameters.

I want to add to my clean-up crew. Besides the 2 hermits I bought one big snail and a bunch of small snails came along with my sand/rock. I think I would like some more hermits and a few cleaner shrimp. How many do you think that I could safely add at one time?

[Rob]

regular small hermits and the regular clean up snails like turbos or naus. you can easily do about 1 per gallon.
since the do more clean up than mess up, you can add lots.
as far as adding them at once, i would do it in thirds or so, just to make sure you dont starve them. because the tanks new you just want to make sure there is enough for them to eat..

and also make sure you add some empty snail shells, the hermits will need to "change there cloths" as they grow. if there are no available shells, they may take them from living snails.. which is a bad thing as the snails die in the process..

[CarmieJo]

Originally Posted by Rob

.. which is a bad thing as the snails die in the process..

True that!

[RazerCorals]

I would recommend when fully stocked: 50 Astrea, 2 Mexican Turbo, 1-2 Peppermint Shrimp, 1-2 Cleaner Shrimp, 20 Nassarius Snails, 30 Cerith Snails, 2 Emerald Crabs.

These can be extras, but the ones above I consider essentials: Brittle Star or Serpent Star - research before you buy!! Blue Linkia Star - Again research Needs a stable tank, Pencil Urchin or Pincussion Urchin unless your tank is acrylic, Blood Red Cleaner Shrimp, Strombus Snails, Margarita Snails, Fighting Conch.

I do not recommend hermit crabs if you have a lot of snails. I have found the blue legs tend to eat them. Generally the Scarlet hermits, and the red leg hermits are pretty safe around snails.

[CarmieJo]

Thanks. I picked up 5 astrea snails and 2 more red leg hermits (the originals were red legs) on Weds. Still no change in parameters, except that 'trates have fallen a bit. I presume that is b/c the anerobic portion of my DSB is getting established. I have also seen a stomatella snail crawling around and there is a pretty big patch of some sort of sponge on one of my rocks. Can I add another 5-10 next week?

[RazerCorals]

Yes you can add more