Custom Cleaner Crews

[johnmaloney @ Reef Cleaners]

Hi everybody,

Here is a thread to help build custom tailored reef cleaning packages for everyone. However, feel free to start your own thread if this becomes clustered, or if you just feel like it. To make things easier, and to get you the best package let me know as much of the following that you feel like answering:

1. The size of your tank
2. Sandbed, coral or rock rubble, or bare bottom
3. Do you have fish, or inverts that you have to feed?
4. If so how many? (Or how many planned)
5. If you have fish, how often do you plan to feed them?
6. How many of those fish would you consider small, medium and large. (I consider a 6 inch fish as large, a medium is about 4 inches)
7. What is your current clean up crew like?
8. How old is your tank?
9. Do you prefer economy or diversity? (Not too much of a price difference)
10. Are you interested in water quality control items like mangroves?
11. About what percentage of your tank will be covered by rock?
12. Does your tank have a lid on it?
13. Do you want a custom CUC that is Express Mail Safe, or Priority Mail Safe, or do you want both to think about it? (Priority is tops $11.95, Express Mail is tops $27.95) With Priority we suggest you do not get Chitons, Limpets, and the Florida Fighting Conch.

This will give me a good idea of what you need. You don't have to be 100% accurate, but the more accurate the answers the better the results. I will give you quotes on very strong clean up crews that will make tank maintenance very simple. If you prefer a smaller package, that works too. If you don't want a very strong package, please let me know in the post (Very Strong, Strong, Medium, Light), so I can roll back the numbers in the package.

Unless otherwise mentioned, the Nerites we refer to are the small-medium Nerites. Nerites grow to full size relatively quickly, (3-4 months).

Even though we will design your package here, it would be easier for everyone if you place the order through our website, located here. You should read each item description on our website to better understand the species, and our policies.

All the Best,
John Maloney
ReefCleaners.org

[vyvial]

ok.
40 gallon cube with 10 gallon sump/fuge (about 35 gallons of water, 70lbs of live rock and 55lbs live sand)
4" sandbed
planned fish: flame hawkfish, wrasse, bar gobies, watchman and some nano fish (trimma goby, clown goby, haven't decided). I will have various shrimp and other inverts. the corals will me mixed.

It's a new tank.

I like diversity.

maybe about 30% rock.

I like the idea of mangroves.

probably end up having a lid.

a stong package. the rock of got has some hair algea and cyno.

anything else?

[johnmaloney @ Reef Cleaners]

That gives me all I need. However, the public computer I am on is counting down my time before I am kicked off. Get an answer for you when I can sign back in.

[johnmaloney @ Reef Cleaners]

Okay vyvial this is what I came up with for you. I kept the zig zag periwinkle out of it because you don't have a lid yet, and this is what they are best at. Without a lid they are likely to spend most of their time cleaning the floor. (Hey maybe that is an idea!)

Ok here it is:(All Nerites are our small-medium Nerites.)

Diverse Package that must be shipped via Express Mail:

40 Gallon Cube:
40 Dwarf Ceriths - our staple cleaner, the ceriths we are famous for. On the small side, a very versatile snail. (diatoms, algae, cyano)
12 Nerites - Glass and rock specialists (diatoms, algae, cyano)
12 Mixed Larger Ceriths - does the same thing as the smaller variety. Our mixed larger ceriths contain the Florida Cerith, the Fly Speckled Cerith, and the smaller Stocky Cerith.
16 Planaxis - a very small snail. Eats algae, cyano, diatoms, etc... but is best at stirring up the sand underneath your rocks and preventing noxious anerobic blooms.
8 Limpets- eats all the algae in an area before moving on. Stick them to trouble spots on arrival for best results. Has trouble righting itself.
6 Chitons - Devours hair algae. Stick them in trouble area on arrival for best results, as this may become its home "scar", or the place it returns to every day after foraging at night. This behavior doesn't always develop in an aquarium like it does in nature. Has trouble righting itself.
15 Nassarius snails to clean up after the fish. Before the fish get there place a little food in there for them.

10 Gallon Sump: (Bolded because same throughout)
20 Mangroves, you can get more or less based on how fast you want results, or how long you are willing to wait. Tops 35 in a 10 gallon.
4 Nerites
15 Dwarf Ceriths
10 Mixed Larger Ceriths
2 Chitons

Diverse Package with Large Florida Fighting Conch must be shipped via Express Mail:

40 Gallon Cube:
25 Dwarf Ceriths
10 Nerites
10 Mixed Larger Ceriths
1 Florida Fighting Conch- great for deep sand beds like yours
16 Planaxis
8 Limpets
2 Chitons
15 Nassarius snails

10 Gallon Sump:
Same

Diverse Package that can be shipped via Priority Mail:

40 Gallon Cube:
55 Dwarf Ceriths
15 Nerites
15 Mixed Larger Ceriths
16 Planaxis
15 Nassarius snails

10 Gallon Sump:
Same

Hope this helps. If we are out of a species when you place an order let me know and we will work something out for you if we can. Please remeber to read each species description on our website to understand them a little better, and to view our policies. This is for a strong CUC. For a very strong CUC, upgrade the Nerites to large Nerites. Alternitively we can re-arrange the numbers a bit.

All the Best,
John Maloney

[vyvial]

thank you very much, i will be contacting you when my cycle has finished.

aaron

[johnmaloney @ Reef Cleaners]

Thanks vyvial. Take your time we aren't going anywhere, and the snails won't be going too far.

[vyvial]

Ok John, I'm setting another new tank and want to try and get in a group order with another buddy of mine.

90 gallon reef ready with 29 gallon sump/fuge (maybe 100 lbs of rock, 4" sandbed (no sand in the sump)

planned fish: wrasse, gobies, tang, blennie, medium and small "reef safe" stuff.

I'll feed every day.

Express mail is good and diversity is key.

Thanks again,

Aaron

Probably be an eggcrate top.

[johnmaloney @ Reef Cleaners]

Based on that info, here is what I would roughly get:

For the 90

140 Dwarf Ceriths
35 Florida Ceriths
?? Nassarius Snails (depends on # of fish- maybe start with 15 and go from there)
20 Limpets (Express Mail)
1 Chiton (Express)

I would get a better idea though if you filled out this form:
Custom Clean Up Crews

Lots of questions I am afraid.