Are these clean up crew #s trustworthy?

[LesPoissons]

Hi everyone,
I have a 220 gallon, running 3 years. I got a quote for a clean up crew and just wanted to know what everyone thought of the numbers. It sounds like soooo many critters to me. At this point I have about 20 snails (Mexican turbos and trochus) and about 20 scarlet hermits, 5 urchins and 3 tangs and 2 lawnmower blennies. I do have a gha problem I've been working out for months, increasing the cuc is one factor I'm trying to correct it. parameters are good, nitrates under 5, phos 0.05, no ammonia, ok cal/alk around 8/ magnesium good etc.) I have not ordered cuc before, just kind of started slow and added from lfs as I went, so idk what kinds of numbers are trustworthy.
This is the suggestion:

180 dwarf ceriths
36 nassarius virbex
48 Florida ceriths
45 hermits
45 nerites
6 emerald crabs
2 smaller conchs

Thoughts? Thanks!!!

 

[Sailingeric]

I think way way too many. I would go a 1/10 of the that and adjust accordingly. I don't want so many they end up starving and it turning into the Hunger Games with crabs eating the snails.

 

[tbare89]

I agree on the overstocking. I would do do a way smaller amount then add more in a couple months after you account for die off.

 

[LesPoissons]

Okay thank you!

 

[rickybrooks05]

You should look at Trochus snails. They can flip themselves over but are pricy for snails...

 

[Bryson.bobby]

+1 on trochus

Great at keeping algae under control

 

[ca1ore]

My rule of thumb always was to go and look on reefcleaners for their recommendation .... and then cut that in half.

 

[Hermie]

I have about a 23 gal display tank--roughly 10 times smaller than your tank... not that I can offer much advice but I broke it down to basically:

• 30 dwarf snails
• 10 hermit crabs

Right now I have,

• 0 snails
  
• 4 hermit crabs (or 5, one went missing)

And I am planning on adding an urchin and see how it does...

Now, there is definitely more turf and hair algae than my CUC is eating, so I have a deficit in CUC atm...
But adding 30 dwarf snails and 5 more hermit crabs?? Man I don't know, some of them would die of starvation I am pretty sure, but the tank would be spotless.

To sum it up, I'd say you should expect some deaths from the first numbers, so you will end up with less than you bought in a few months. If your tank has algae problems, the recommended numbers are probably going to be fine... It's kind of a question of "too many = some deaths" "too few = algae will win"

 

[LesPoissons]

Okay thank you. This is from reeflceaners so well see. I think you are right and it's a constant battle of algae control and the fine line being cuc or algae being in control.