cleanup crew package?

[beemert]

greetings,

i have a 55G corner bow that has been setup for 4 years. the youngest fish is 2.5yrs. the youngest coral is 2 yrs. some softies and an lps. i really like this tank and seems to be stable.
the red legs that i bought a couple years ago are now gone. i never bought a "cleanup crew package", just a handful of hermits.
i realize now that the coraline algae as lost some of its luster. it is still there, but has a fine layer of algae that makes it look brown.
i have searched the online sources for cleanup crew packages and there seems to be different opinions on what makes a good crew.
have any of you folks come across a good package that seems to make sense and is a good value?
thank you for your help now and in the past.
bruce

 

[psiico]

I personally like hermits, snails, emerald crabs and brittle stars for cleanup. I also have a cucumber, but those are risky so I wouldn't recommend one. I use a mix of hermits and snails. For snails I have astrea, nassarius, cerith, nerite, and I have a fighting conch coming in the next week or two.

 

[Anonymous]

snails for rock and glass..turbos and astrea and nassarius to stir up the sand..hermits also are good for stirring up the sand and eating detritus.. www.liveaquaria.com has a good package deal on a clean up crew..there are many others out there too..im sure some of the other members have other recommendations also..

 

[beemert]

how does this sound?

http://www.etropicals.com/product/prod_ ... CatId=1368

bruce

 

[Anonymous]

looks good...how about it to you...???

 

[Meloco14]

Make sure you want everything in the package before getting it. Arrow crabs and coral banded shrimp can cause problems in some systems. They are agressive and might even eat the peppermints that come in that same package. I have ordered an online package before, and though it is nice since it saves shipping costs they tend to be overkill. Most of my hermits died within 3 weeks simply because there were too many and not enough food. Recently I picked up some astraea, margaritas, and nassarius from jeff's exotic fish. I would definitely recommend the margaritas and nassarius, but the astraeas didnt do as well. However I have had astraeas in the past from etropicals and they all did very well. So it depends on the batch, but it shows that you should definitely get a variety. I also got some nerites and strombus from ipsf.com and 2 turbos from my lfs. I think variety is key until you find what you really like. Try the build your own package option at etropicals, they have a decent variety and if you order $60 shipping is free. The only thing I would do after that is pick up some other snails, like nerites, margaritas, strombus, or trochus.

 

[K9coral]

Check this out first


www.sevenseasonline.com


You get 60 snails hermits or whatever for $70 shipping included.
And the more stuff you get, the cheaper the price is - I use them and several of my friends have tried them all without a problem.

 

[GotDesl]

Also, check this place out. I ordered my LR and cleanup crews through them. Exceptional customer service, and if they have any questions the owner will call you and check everything out and let you know what is up. I am impressed and the prices include overnight shipping by FedEx. Got my crew from them and it has definitely improved the tank. I want to say the owners name is Chris. I could be wrong. Shipping of the crew was awesome; it was well insulated and heated and every last critter was alive and ready to go to work.

http://www.reefermadness.us

 

[Anonymous]

www.etropicals.com has a build your own reef cleaner package, and if you order more than $60 from this section the shipping is "free."

I was satisfied with the service and the product. Felt the snails were a bit small, but they did throw in a few more emerald crabs than I ordered.

 

[Anonymous]

http://www.etropicals.com/product/scate ... CatId=1184
To be more specific!

 

[1937 Waco]

Hello:

I get my stuff from Premium Aquatics which is one of the sponsors. I like the black and white legged crabs as they last a long time and don't hurt anything. Give them a call and they will set you up with what you need. Try get everything at once to cut down on shipping costs.

Bob

 

[Anonymous]

1937 Waco black and white legged crabs =zebra hermits from hawaii..but Beemert, youre gonna have to do some shopping around to find out what packages meet your specific needs..as you can see there are tons of places offering different things at different prices...happy shopping

 

[beemert]

i really do appreciate all the replies, they have ben very helpful.

this is what i did:

http://www.etropicals.com/product/prod_ ... CatId=1369

if this works out, i will add the crabless package.

thank you all !!

bruce