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After 3 years of planted tanks I'm back on nano salt water. Started 11 days ago I have begun the cycle process, and have I forgot most of what I knew years ago... Man! I'm rusty.. Anyway going to keep a wee log of it. Grimes 15 gallon mixed reef with added pest algae 😭 Equipment: AquaOne Nano 40, 15 Gallon Stockheater and pump Fluval SEA Nano LED Jebao wp 10 wavemaker Filtration: 5 kg of live rock 1 kg TMC fine sand. * Thinking about the rear chamber and it's configuration at the moment Livestock (updated 10th October) Fish & Inverts: Yellow coral goby (Gobiodon okinawae) Blue neon goby (Elacatinus oceanops) Firefish goby (Nemateleotris magnifica) 5 x Banded Trochus Snails 3 x Bumblebee Snails 1 x Nassarius snail Peppermint shrimp Emerald Crab 4 hermits Coral: LPS: Hammer (Euphyllia ancora) Duncan's (Duncanopsammia axifuga) Acan (Acanthastrea echinata) Softies: Zoas - Radio Active Zoas - Red People Eater Green Implosion Paly Mushrooms Yuma Red Mushroom Orange (Rhodactis mussoides) Green Star colony (Pachyclavularia)

After around three weeks or so my tank cycled, ammonia and nitrites hit zero, nitrates spiked so I did a 75% water change the other day. As my tank was now covered with diatoms and green hair algae, I purchased a small clean up crew today, this was its composition. x2 Scarlet hermit crabs x2 Blue legged hermit crabs x1 Trochus snail x1 Cerith snail x1 Emerald crab I drip acclimated the hermits for around forty minutes, the emerald for an hours, and the snails for an hour and a half. So far the scarlet hermits have moved slowly on the sand eating detritus and algae, while the blue legs are much more active, moving around the tank and climbing up on the rock work. The cerith snail has mostly been crawling on one piece of rock, and the trochus was on the sand before moving up the glass. I would have to say that the emerald crab is the most entertaining member of the CuC so far, its been climbing around the rock work, through caves and crevices eating hair algae like a beast. Interestingly enough it appears to be missing one claw.I know some people have problems with emeralds, but i'm very impressed with mine. Here are some pictures

So I bought an emerald crab after a lot or reading. Some said yes they are reef safe some said no. Lesson learned if there are no's don't get one. Mine almost headed to the toilet tonight. Caught it eating my hammer coral Whole tentacles at a time. Not a reef safe critter. He is off to the lfs Monday. Good by pest.