# Quick question about cleanup crews.



## [email protected] (May 21, 2008)

I have a 30 gallon fowlr tank in cycling...I have the live rock...about 26 pounds of it. I am going to get 2 false percs, 1 feather duster, and one fuzzy dwarf lionfish. I have a 30 gallon power filter, a 60 gallon skimmer, and a powerhead. I am wondering, do I need a cleanup crew and if so, what kind? I like nass. snails...so can I get JUST those and if so, how many do I need? Thanks for your help.


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## bettababy (Oct 12, 2006)

[email protected] said:


> I have a 30 gallon fowlr tank in cycling...I have the live rock...about 26 pounds of it. I am going to get 2 false percs, 1 feather duster, and one fuzzy dwarf lionfish. I have a 30 gallon power filter, a 60 gallon skimmer, and a powerhead. I am wondering, do I need a cleanup crew and if so, what kind? I like nass. snails...so can I get JUST those and if so, how many do I need? Thanks for your help.


You're going to want to eliminate the dwarf lion. For starters, that would be too many fish in a 30 gallon tank, the fuzzy dwarfs still average about 6 inches full grown and their behavior and habits is about the same as any other lionfish. Lionfish in general are predators, and it would eventually eat most everything else you've listed for your tank, including your snails.

Minus the lionfish, blue leg hermit crabs, nassarius snails, margarita snails, astrea snails, and if you're not getting corals, even turbo snails are all great for a cleanup crew. Some of the urchins can also be wonderful parts of the cleanup crew. Nassarius snails live in the sandbed, so please be sure you have a sand substrate in this tank. Crushed coral is too large and heavy for them to burrow into, and it is sharp enough it will kill nassarius snails quickly. 
Nassarius snails also don't usually come out much unless you put food in the tank. They won't eat the algae on the glass, and they won't eat most algaes that grow on the rock, either. While they are very active, they feed mostly on the detritus in the sandbed and foods that fall to the sandbed. 

As for numbers... in a 30 gallon tank you have to look at how much sandbed there is without rock in/on it. 5 - 7 of the nassarius should be plenty in a tank that size. Hermit crabs, you could use 20 - 25 of them, margarita snails, 5 - 7, astrea snails, 3 - 5, and turbos 1 - 2. 

Hope this helps.


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