Clean up suggestions

[rudeanduncouth]

I am desperate need of a cleanup crew in my 125. I am looking at ordering them online but I am having trouble find places that I like and stuff that I want. There are a number of places that sell them but they all have an obsession with hermit crabs. They all claim that small hermit crabs are resafe but to anyone who has owned hermit crabs they know this is BS. Crabs in general are scavengers and opportunistic feeders. I don't really want a lot of creatures period because I do not feel they are that necessary, but I do need more. The prepackaged crews are greatly overstocked too. One place actually suggest 6 fighting conchs in a 125g. I particular need sand bed creatures. Does anyone have any good suggestions on where to order from? I have read through a few thread about similar things but haven't really found a lot I like too much.

Here is a list of the places I have been looking at.

eTropicals

Probably the best place that I found so far. You can make your own package and has a low minimum cost for free shipping. The main downside is they are continous out of stock due to high sales.

Marine Depot Live

You can't pick your specifically pick your clean up crew but they do offer packages that do not include hermit crabs but that lack a lot of other things. They also don't have any quite big enough either.

Premium Aquatics

Has a most of what I want and prices aren't bad, but no really good savings.

I have found a few other places, but none of them that great. If any one has any suggestions let me know. Also I will start a thread letting people know so they can order stuff at the same time if they wish.

 

[spongebob lover]

Well dood if you can't find a good place where you can make the package you like.
why don't you just get the hermits and then just trade them with another reefer from your area.
I'm sure someone would want them or just trade them for more snails with someone.

 

[rudeanduncouth]

Not a bad idea. I will ask around. I post a similar thread on local fish forum so we will see what turns out.

 

[jake65]

you go Gab

 

[CarlaW]

Try Reeftopia.
Great service and the prices are good too.

 

[Krish]

I just have snails I got from here at the beach...Not helping you much I guess, but just wanted to add, I never had a crab or hermit crab in my tank. Some like to kill your snails to steal their shells!

 

[mmkeeper]

i have done pretty well with garf.org.

 

[reedman]

I'll echo Charlie....reeftopia.com is the best prices and service I have had to date. Great people and great prices, plus you can usually get free shipping on an order over $125 (which is pretty easy to do).

 

[spongebob lover]

I just have snails I got from here at the beach...Not helping you much I guess, but just wanted to add, I never had a crab or hermit crab in my tank. Some like to kill your snails to steal their shells!

lol !!! yeah go ahead rub it in dood .

 

[MarineTeng]

reeftopia's actually i think $120 for free shipping, but they have a $10 fuel charge, also have 10% off of $200 if you need that much, they also have really cheap basslets, got my royal gramma $6 and black caps are only $16 i think, something i didn't realize though was how small their hermits were and their golden astrea snails, but i'm happy with what i got at a great price, o and emerald crabs, i'm a fan of those too

 

[seaweedsmoker]

Big Snails -

 

[RockyHeap]

Big Snails suck.

They're bulldozers, Huge golf ball Turbo snails are the worst.....

Astrea snail, margarita snails, bumblebee snails. Much better for a reef depending on what you're trying to get your lawnmowers to eat down.


And who ever said red legged or blue legged hermits are bad? They all have their place. All in moderation. Don't put 200 in your reef, but 10-20 help keep waste products in check.

 

[Sk8r]

I have 20 hermits in my 52, and they're an asset. Never have lost a snail to them, never had them knock anything over. And they do work on the sand. But for sand cleaning, conchs are the best. People complain because they disappear under the sand, but they don't sleep much down there: they don't sleep much at all, to my observation. When they dive, they're just after something deep, and may pop up half a tank away.

 

[rudeanduncouth]

I have about 5 hermits in my tank now, and I have had them for awhile. They all have fancy new shells from various snails I have add of time.

I looked at reeftopia at one point and they are hermit happy. I would rather now try to pawn them off on somebody. I was let on to seacrop today. I think they are who I will go with. They have a huge variety of snails. Some I have never even heard of. Though some of those weren't ones I particular want in my tank because they are colder water snails.

 

[gman0526]

www.keyscritters.com

 

[sryder]

I had hair algae and bought a bunch of snails. I took the 5 or so hermits and put them in my fuge.the snails did well untill My arrow crab who is a great scavenger of left over food killed and ate all of my snails. My anthias killed my arrow crab so I put the hermits back in the tank where they do a good job of cleaning up. I ended up adding a few more scarlets to the tank and have not had any problems with them picking at anything other then rock crud.

 

[rudeanduncouth]

www.keyscritters.com

I saw this site earlier, its good, but I think I would end up with way too many snails. So far I haven't found anybody local who would like extra critters for there tank. I don't particular want to waste money on them dying or just having to give them away.

I had hair algae and bought a bunch of snails. I took the 5 or so hermits and put them in my fuge.the snails did well untill My arrow crab who is a great scavenger of left over food killed and ate all of my snails. My anthias killed my arrow crab so I put the hermits back in the tank where they do a good job of cleaning up. I ended up adding a few more scarlets to the tank and have not had any problems with them picking at anything other then rock crud.

Hermits crab can serve a purpose. They are very good at eating detritus and anything they can get there claws on. I just don't want to needless sacrifice snails. I also plan on getting a conch or two and I would be pretty PO'ed if they kill on of those.

 

[Sherman]

I'm also a big fan of Reeftopia.com. I've put together a couple group buys through them. Their prices are great, their service is great. You don't have to buy their packages, you can buy individually.

Additionally, they're the only place I've seen with the micro blue leg hermits. These guys are TINY, and can get into all those itsy bitsy nooks and crannies that others can't. As they got larger, I simply sent them off to other reefers who didn't mind the larger blue legs. And at 50 cents each, they're not a major investment, either. For the sand, both Cerith and Nassarius Vibex snails are awesome! Also well under a buck each.

The real benefit comes with a group buy, though. My last one approached $500, and they increased the discount to at least 15%, free shipping, and a couple free ricordea.