[RubiconR6]

I have a 46 gallon tank. I have 6 small blue legged hermit crabs. I just recently changed my metal halide bulb and since then algea has went crazy. What other cleaners should I get for my tank?

[reefnoob1991]

Turbo snails...nassarius snails...all good choices

[RubiconR6]

How many snails should I get?

[reefnoob1991]

4-5 turbos and probably 8-10 nassarius

[RubiconR6]

OK Thanks for your help!!!

[reefnoob1991]

No prob...if you need anymore help and you need a quick answer feel free to PM

[blind1993]

if ur tank was larger u could have gotten a tang but instead get a coralbeauty angel it will help a little.

[wetpet]

Scarlet reef hermits are great, at least 3 or 4
Nassarius snails about 3-4
turbo snails I like the black turbos 4 or 5

I like to mix it up and I love inverts so you can always go for some more exotic things like

a brittle star, avoid the green ones
orange spotted watchman gobies are great with sand sifting, get two they like to live in pairs
I love my lawnmower blennie, he has so much personality, I have a few decent size conch type shells in my tank and every night he curls up in one to sleep, its like a tiny blennie condo
Cleaner shrimp are so much fun and alot of fish love them, they help combat disease in your fish and they will clean your hand when you offer them a little meaty tidbit to eat, I like my skunk cleaner in my big tank, but my fire shrimp in the smaller tank is gorgeous, he is just "grumpy', we call him Manson if that tells you anything about how he feels about other shrimp trying to live in his tank, this is not typical of fire shrimp I'm told
I have a horseshoe crab in my big tank 75 gal. fun to watch and munches up bristle worms, detritus and keeps my sand sparley
sand sifting stars are great if you have the room, not alot of competition for their food source and don't mind not seeing him much

just a few suggestions, oh peppermint shrimp are nice too...they like to live in groups so 3 or 4

cait

[reefnoob1991]

Sand sifting stars need an established tank...because of the amount of sifting they do in the sand it will deplete all of their food source very quickly...giving it a long,slow,death.

[blind1993]

yea i would recomend at least 3 months but 6 to be on the safe side.

[reefnoob1991]

They need a large tank too...due to their extreme ability to "exhaust" their food source in the sand bed

[wetpet]

true true, I should have been more specific, I was just thinking about cleaners that arent just your everyday crab/snail attack pack...

[reefnoob1991]

Cucumbers are great sand sifters same with Nassarius snails

[blind1993]

or cleanerclams and macro alage.

[reefnoob1991]

Macroalgae removes nitrates/ammonia/nitrites not the cause of most algae.