FOWLR missing the FO - Planning for tank mates

[Northstar24]

Noob, as far as powerheads, you're aiming for 10-20x the tank volume in turnover each hour. So for a 58 gallon, you're looking for anywhere from 580-1160 gph. A very common saying is 'as long as your sand isnt in suspension, you dont have too much flow'

I currently have a flow of roughly 5500 gph in my 180

 

[N00B]

I'm starting to get a bad case of the "Jones" to get some fish. I must maintain my diligence in remaining patient. That's the difficult part! I think my tank should complete it's cycle by next weekend - keeping my fingers crossed.

Must admit that I cheated and bought 2 little electric blue hermit crabs. Wanted some type of life form to stare at other than my live rock. Trust me - I've stared at my live rock for hours on in... lol... Is that odd?

So far I have:

1 - turbo snail
2 - blue legged hermit crabs (originally had 3 but missing 1 after aquascaping)
2 - electric blue hermit crabs

I asked the guys at the lfs and they recommend I have about 20 blue legged hermits as my CUC. Does that sound about right?

I'd like a combination of snails, crabs and shrimp. Any recommendations y'all can provide is most appreciated.

Anyone have luck with peppermint shrimp cleaning up aptaisia? I have a handful off my live rock and don't want them to get out of hand. Should I try to get rid of as much as I can before I add fish? I've been reading different methods just not sure I'm quick enough to inject them, those boogers retract pretty fast. I don't want to take my live rock out of the tank because I have so much growth on them.

Hoping to post some pics soon to give everyone an idea in what I'm working with.

 

[little_fish]

That amount of crabs sounds just fine.

Also, i have had luck with the peps eating aiptasia, but they are super sensitive to water parameters, so i dont think you should add them until after you cycle is complete. So i would try and get rid of them by using Aiptasia X, but still add a few to take care of any that might pop up later. I have also noticed that they will only eat the little ones, so you end up having to take care of the large ones yourself anyways.

 

[N00B]

Noob, as far as powerheads, you're aiming for 10-20x the tank volume in turnover each hour. So for a 58 gallon, you're looking for anywhere from 580-1160 gph. A very common saying is 'as long as your sand isnt in suspension, you dont have too much flow'

I currently have a flow of roughly 5500 gph in my 180

Would you recommend that I get two different velocity of powerheads? I was thinking about getting one of each: Sicce - Voyager 1 (adjustable 265 - 607 gph) and Voyager 2 (800gph).

Does this sound good?

 

[little_fish]

More powerheads is usually better. It allows you to better adjust the flow so you dont have any dead spots. More flow is also always better than less flow too

 

[N00B]

That amount of crabs sounds just fine.

Also, i have had luck with the peps eating aiptasia, but they are super sensitive to water parameters, so i dont think you should add them until after you cycle is complete. So i would try and get rid of them by using Aiptasia X, but still add a few to take care of any that might pop up later. I have also noticed that they will only eat the little ones, so you end up having to take care of the large ones yourself anyways.

Yeah.. I know shrimp are more sensitive, that's why I didn't get him yesterday. I'll look into Aiptasia X.

Are there any species of snails, crabs, and shrimp you'd advise to stay away from? I know not to get the large red hermit crab.

Thanks again!

 

[ErinCahir]

I've heard some pretty nasty things about Coral Banded Shrimp. I'd stay away from those.
Make sure you have extra shells for you hermits, though. There is a good chance they will kill your snails to get their shells.

 

[little_fish]

I would also stay away from Margarita snails. They are a cold water species that are commonly sold at LFS, but they just boil to death in your tank.

I am also a fan of having a large variety of different snail types. They tend to eat different things, so a variety keeps more types of algae in check.