[hank]

I believe my 72g has finally cycled. For the last three days, the tests have been... Ammonia - 0 Nitrite - 0 and Nitrate - 10. Now I'm thinking I should add a clean up crew. Do you have any suggestions on what critters, and how many of each? Also, is it necessary to quarantine the clean up crew?
Thanks, Hank in SoCal

[leebca]

The clean up crew should be quarantined. Having written that, I usually don't. If I am setting up a new FOWLR system, there are no fish in the system when I put in the cleanup crew. I'm not too concerned about parasites that might come with the crew, just diseases they can transmit to fish. So after I add the crew, I don't add fish for at least two more months AFTER the last crew member was added.

You may get some of this info by looking through this list of setting up the FOWLR post: Setting Up a FOWLR Aquarium

In the above post are suggestions for what to put into your crew.

You didn't mention the size of your display tank nor your system, however regardless, you begin with snails -- herbivores and carnivores, the go 'up' from there.

If you need more info about snails:
3 articles on snails:
The Grazing Snails, Part I - Turbo, Trochus, Astraea, and Kin by Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D. - Reefkeeping.com
The Grazing Snails, Part II - Abalones, Limpets and Nerites by Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D. - Reefkeeping.com
The Grazing Snails, Part III: Conchs, Ceriths, Cowries, and Columbellids by Ronald L. Shimek, Ph.D. - Reefkeeping.com

Nassarius Snails as Scavengers in Reef Aquaria Article
Aquarium Frontiers Library

Take note that you should not include hermit crabs as part of the crew. If you read the last reference above, you'll learn why.