When to order clean up crew?

[theishkid]

I'm just curious when the best time to add a clean up crew is?

I've had my tank running with sand since labor day. This week I finally added my live rock from KP Aquatics.

My skimmer has been on the entire time doing nothing and all of a sudden it started skimming a little bit after the rock has been in for 3 days.

 

Is it time to order the clean up crew? Or should I wait until I start seeing a diatom bloom?

I just don't want all the critters to starve to death.

 

Or what else should I look for or test for to know when it's time?

[blkflm6888]

I just added 1 hermit my ammonia is 0 and nitrite is 0 my cycle just finished i didnt run my skimmer until now

[Liamgray90]

I had my rock in from day 1

 

Put it in and moniter levels before adding clean up crew

If you take water sample to shop they will tell you when it's safe to add clean up crew

Took me a week to add mine from buying the tank

 

I have coral fish and invertebrates at 1month

 

No deaths no problems nothing

I. Change and clean filters every week

[ninjamyst]

after tank cycles (ammonia 0, nitrite 0) and after you see a little bit of diatom / algae

[Mariaface]

Honestly, don't get the CUC until you find that you need it. Some diatom growth is a perfectly normal part of the cycle, and it'll clear up once you're done and can add chemical filtration to the aquarium (adding it before will compete with bacteria in your rock/sand). You also shouldn't add your CUC until after you've completed your cycle. Make sure ammonia and nitrite are both exactly zero, and you have a non-negligible amount of nitrates as evidence that the bacteria has been doing something this whole time.

 

Are there photosynthetic organisms on your live rock? If not, you don't even need to run the lights while you cycle. :]