When to add a clean up crew?

[snag]

I'm new to this hobbie. I have just started a 55 gal. reef tank a week ago. I have 38 lbs. LR and 60 lbs. of LS. I have heard so much about clean up crews that I wanted to know when to add a clean up crew in the tank?

The clean up crew would consist of:
1 Abalone or 2 Tiger Tail Cucumbers
2 Emerald Mythrax Crabs
2 San Sifting Cucumbers
2 Brittle Star
1 Serpent Star
10 Nassarius Snails

I will be adding a 18 inch CPR refugium this week.

Also, How long do I need to wait to introduce any enemony?

Thanks. Snag

 

[radcast2]

You need to wait for at least 1 week after your cycle has completed, before adding anything. IMO you should add a fish first. (IMO)
I would only add some snails..3 turbo's, 1 fighting conch, and 2 or 3 nassarius. You wont have much for them to live on unless you have algae, but yo ucan place seaweed sheets in there for them. I wouldnt put the cucmbers, crabs, in and only 1 Brittle Star or 1 Serpent Star..the serpent star is considered by many to be more reef safe than the brittle star.
As for the (enemony) anemone, you really want to wait like 6months to a year....and that 6 months IMO is after your tank has cycled and after it has been stable with all it's levels and you not always trying to raise this or that or lower this or that.

 

[Lostmind]

Hey Snag

ok, I added my snails and hermits after 3 weeks. I waited until my ammonia, nitrite and nitrate all read 0.

You have quite the list for your cleanup crew. I would add some of the items on your list later on, after your tank has matured.

First, add snails and hermits. I'd suggest a variety of snails and hermits. Cerith, astrea, trochus and nassarius if you can. In a 55gallon, I would probably add about 30 snails. I really like the cerith, astrea and nassarius. Cerith I like because they mix up the sandbed and eat algae on the glass, rocks, sand, everywhere. Astrea really keep my rocks clean of algae, and I see them on the glass quite a bit too. Nassarius are mainly detritus eaters (think fish poo and left over food) that hide in the sand until feeding time.

If you want, add hermits. I dont think they are 100% necessary, but they do add some life and movement to your tank. I like the blue leg guys I have, and the zebras.

You can add the crabs around the same time as snails and hermit crabs.

I dont think you should add the cucumber yet - wait a few months to let the sand bed grow some food for it. And, I would only add 1 cucumber, not two as your tank isnt too large.

I would try to convince you to drop the 2 sandsifting stars. They can eat all the beneficial organisms in your tank....

The other stars, I would wait until your tank has matured a bit more.

As for anemones, most people will tell you to wait at least 1 year, if not more. And, most people will tell you that you shouldnt even bother buying an anemone as it will most likely die in captivity anyways.

HTH.

 

[Anonymous]

for one thing...make sure you don't get the green brittle star....he is a predator and WILL kill stuff including fish over time...
you may want to reconsider adding crabs....they're pesky and hard to trust...if you ever keep any corals in the future, crabs may mess with em too much for your liking...
reconsider the cucumbers as well...i'm no expert but i think i've heard they can devastate you 'pod' population and end up starving in the long-run...at the same time i'm sure many people have success with all of these....

i think we all wished we had researched more before SOME purchases we've made...i suggest more research first, especially on anemones, they can be nasty.....and remember many people mix anemones with corals in their tank and they seem to do ok in the short-term, but since these creatures really don't appear in such close proximity in nature and tanks that include both corals and anemones can have problems in the future...just FYI

 

[vair]

I would for not add the cukes they need a well established tank for a long life span.
I would for wait until your water parameters are good before adding anything. Start with a clean up crew of snails and small crabs like blue legged crabs. Most retailers should be able to suggest this.

Well lets just dido Lostminds responce, sound like the way to go.

Dave Good luck remember this hobby takes time for success. (and a ton of money)

 

[hdtran]

I would avoid cucumbers altogether.

Snails are good, they're the first critters I'd add. They wander around eating your diatoms. If you get some hair algae, hermits will eat smaller hair, plus uneaten fish food. But they'll also try to extract your snails in order to get the shells.

I'd avoid the Emerald crabs too, unless you have lots of out of control hair algae--then, I'd look at the chemistry before adding the Emeralds. IMO, the only good crab is a porcelain crab (filter feeding, so can't eat anything else). Any other crab is an opportunist who'll attack your snails if he/she gets hungry enough.

Brittle stars are all good (except the Indo/Pacific large green serpent star). Small ones are good film/detritus eaters.

Agreed with all the other posters, when your nitrogen is cycled, you can begin adding snails & hermits.

Last but not least: I don't think 38# of LR is sufficient in a 55g tank. I know you've got 60# of LS, but I'd personally add another 20-30# of LR.