Timing of the Introduction of A Cleanup Crew

[WannaBeAReefer]

I have just started a reef tank and have fully cured live rock and live sand in tank. Algae is growing (wish I could identify it all to see if it "good" or "bad algae)...

My question is when should I introduce the cleanup crew? Some books have said wait 3 to 4 weeks but it seems like my tank would get overrun by then...

Any thoughts on this?

[Reinhold]

Okay, I'll give this question a shot.

A clean-up crew does just that, feeding on detrititus and waste from the fish, corals and other creatures in the tank. I'd start with a modest sized crew and add more detrivores as you increase the bioload in the tank.

Do you have any fish or corals in the tank yet?

[WannaBeAReefer]

No fish or corals... 90g tank -- 135 lbs. of fully cured Fiji live rock, 20 lbs. of live sand, 20 lbs. of arogonite. No trace of ammonia and nitrite, betweeon 0 and 5 of nitrate so it seems the tank is ready...

It has only been 5 days and all sorts of great stuff is growing on the live rock. Amphipods are wandering around etc. I can easily see the algae getting out of control and I was wondering if it is OK to go ahead and put the crew in. I would want to put in the whole crew at once to save money vs. multiple orders...

[Reinhold]

If you have a big algae growth and no fish or corals, my guess is that there must be some die off from the live rock. I don't know where else the nutrients for algae would be coming from. Are you running a protein skimmer?

I think you could add some snails, hermits, bristle worms, conchs, etc. now.

[WannaBeAReefer]

It's not really big growth... there are "fronds" (is this hair algae?) of stuff about 1/4 inch long.. there appears to be little feather duster type things (translucent -- I apologize for not knowing the names).

I run a protein skimmer that is picking up green water still -- no sludge yet as there are no fish/coral.

It seems like I'm ready for the crew but I'm afraid they won't have an adequate food source if I put 70-80 various creatures in the tank.

Thanks for your responses by the way!