cleanup crew for a 12 gallon

[chufa]

Over the next month I will focus on establishing a cleanup crew for my 12 gallon eclipse (2 weeks old). I added my first critters, 2 blue-leg hermits and one lager, unidentified hermit. This hermit has legs with green and white stripes, and unlike the two blues, seems to be strictly nocturnal.

 

I want to add 3 more hermits, a couple of turbo snails, and a pair of peppermint shrimp. Does this sound right for a 12 gallon? Also, I am considering an emerald crab. Will the emerald crab eat my grape caulerpa completely? Is it compatible with the rest of the crew and small fish? Are they prone to escape the tank?

 

Thanks

[printerdown01]

Hermit is possibly a zebra (usually almost black w/white strips, but I have seen it fade to almost green)... Might be something else though... I wouldn't recommend turbos for a 12... They are big, and tend to buldose corals over and knock loose rock work down... CAN be destructive, but not always. The next best thing are astreas... They eat as large of a variety of algae as turbos, but do not do it as quickly... Also try to get a variety of snails -I realize this is not possible in some areas... Go for anywhere between 1/2 -1 snail per gallon... Peppermints can also be destructive, eating small mushrooms and sometimes button polyps (if you ever get yellow polyps they will turn into a tasty treat, lol). Emeralds too will seize the oppertunity to grab "small fish" I don't know how small you are talking about, but if you are thinking of keeping something like a redheaded goby or a neon goby he'll probably be a gonner. Again though it really depends on the personality of your emerald... sometimes they will pose no problems at all... LOL, sorry I just shot at all of your clean-up crew options... Well hell, might as well attack the hermits: these guys too will eat anything they can fit into thier mouths (fish included) and are known to attack and kill snails for their shells. Now with that said, I OWN HERMITS, and have had NO problems! I have also owned peppermints, bought them to eat my aptasia: these guys did eat my baby shrooms, but didn't tough any of the larger ones nor did they go for my button polyps... I LIKE HERMITS, they are usually safe, and emeralds are safe most of the time (the smaller the better with any crab!!).

 

*oh yeah, no none of the above should escape...

*Ladyamanda has a pep. in her tank, she doesn't seem to complain about it, so I'm sure that it isn't gobbling her stuff up . But they CAN be a problem.

[chufa]

I once kept a fiddler fw crab. He escaped all the time. One time one of my cats got to him during one of his adventures. I wonder if the emerald has the same problem.

 

By small fish, I mean fish like small clowns or damsels.

[ladyamanda]

My peppermint did start tearing my star polyps a bit when I first introduced it to the tank, then it ate all the apastia, and I feed the tank daily, no read problems since. Something's munching on my leather coral, I haven't Id' what, and I think it might have not faired the move well so I'm not sure if it's ill and something decided to eat it, ir something decided to eat it and thwt'e why it's ill...

 

Until I see it, I don't want to blame any particular inhabitant...

[gobies]

I wouldn't recommend turbos for a 12... They are big, and tend to buldose corals over and knock loose rock work down... CAN be destructive, but not always.

I love my turbo -- it took care of the last of my red algae and hair algae. I would recommend ONE turbo for a 10-12g tank. Get a small one, and you shouldn't have problems with it overturning your rockwork. Mine is 1.5" or so, and hasn't moved anything. Plus, turbos can right themselves, whereas astraeas can't -- they'll die if they fall over.

[printerdown01]

Yes, the astreas are somewhat faulty in design . Peppermints usually don't eat leathers... but that is certainly not to say that he souldn't be a suspect... I have a friend that had a CLEANER shrimp, yeah the guy with the big whiskers and one white stripe tear open his polyps... No one believe him until he took pictures... Each critter has their own personality... It is no different than you cannot predict exactly what a human is going to eat just because they are human, some kids hate veggies others love'm... It's the same deal! That's why I keep mentioning 'can' and 'might.'

[Korbin]

BANDED TROCHUS SNAILS!

 

they are the best. I have 3 in my 12 gallon since the start with no algae problems. They're mostly nocturnal, so they wont bother your corals during daylight hours. They can flip over off their backs. And mine like to graze right on my sand bed.

And they're more colorful than astreas, and about 90 times faster.

 

I also have 2 blue hermits. And thats my cleanup crew.

 

I dont have any fish, but I do also have lotsa copepods and amphipods.

[gigemmatt]

I have almost the same combo in a ten gal. except I have two emerald crabs. I don't see any problem with the bunch, but I would lose the pep. shrimp.