Category:Clean-Up Crew
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Reef Aquarium Cleanup Crew
"Cleanup Crew" is a generalized term referring to a set of algaevores and detritivores commonly used to help keep the aquarium, glass, substrate and water quality clean.
Cleaning crews are typically composed of an array of Mobile Invertebrates, including Snails,Crabs, Starfish and a wide variety of others including Sea Cucumbers,Shrimps and more.
Cleanup Crew Selection
There is no one-size-fits-all cleaning crew, and oftentimes commercial package deals are not the best solution for the aquarist. Rather, it is recommended that hobbyists research their choices in cleaners carefully and make decisions based on individual specimens. One example of such decision-making versus "package deals" - A package that consists of hundreds of hermit crabs and many small snails.
Snails
Snails are excellent at cleaning Algae from the glass, rockwork, and substrate. This is especially true during the time after a tank has recently cycled, when blooms of Diatom Algae can be expected.
Crabs
By far the most common crabs in a cleanup crew are hermit crabs, and are probably tied for most popular member of any cleanup crew along with snails. Typical cleaner hermits include the red-leg hermit, blue-leg hermit, and scarlet hermit. Also popular in cleanup crews is the Emerald Crab, an algaevore specialized in eating the pesky Valonia or Bubble Algae.
Shrimp
Among the shrimp commonly added as part of a cleanup crew are Peppermint Shrimp and Cleaner Shrimp. Both are voracious eaters and not particularly picky about what they eat.
Starfish
Among the starfish, Serpent Stars are often selected as members of cleanup crews. Serpent stars are far more hardy than most sea stars, make a fine addition to the aquarium, and do indeed do an excellent job of cleaning up detritus. Tiny brittle stars are common and well regarded hitchikers.
Sometimes, Sand Sifting Starfish are added as well. This member of a cleanup crew can be controversial, however, since it is no doubt a voracious eater but many argue will wipe out the fauna of a Live Sand Bed and then starve if the tank is too small to sustain it.
Selection/Sizing/Compatibility
Not all tanks have the same needs, and not all clean up crew members will necessarily get along. Care needs to be taken when planning CUCs just as with any animal introduction.
Compatibility/Predation
Some CUC members can potentially be prey for fish and other tank inhabitants, leading to their rapid depletion. Make sure none of your CUC members are on the menu for your fish.
Less common, though still possible, some CUC members can potentially prey on corals and fish right back.
All crabs and shrimp, including hermit crabs, are omnivorous by nature, and no species is 100% reef or invert safe. Generally they will prefer CUC duties as long as there is ample and easily attainable "safe" food, and generally only turn to predation is they are stressed or hungry. There are species that are more or less aggresive than others, but none are guaranteed safe.
Hermit crabs in particular are known for being fairly safe most of the time, but they may begin killing snails for their shells (especially if not enough empty shells of the right size are available for them to molt into), leading some to choose either snail CUCs or hermit CUCs instead of mixing the two.
"Green" brittle stars are known to attack fish when they become large enough, and this species should be avoided when possible.
Selection
Diversity in a CUC is generally more important than sheer numbers. Different CUC members often specialize in different parts of the tank: some prefer the glass (many snails), other the live rock (hermits), others will dig in the substrate (cerith and nassarius snails). Some species will eat leftover food, while others only film algaes.
Also keep in mind that there are many areas of the tank where only smaller species can fit. Larger snails can clean faster, but may be unable to reach certain areas of the tank.
Some CUC members are more appropriate for certain setups than others. Urchins are excellent CUC members in terms of their eating habits, but they can chew powerhead power cords or topple unsteady rocks, meaning that they will be easier to manage in tanks with inaccesible powerhead cords and without too much stacked live rock.
Certain types of tiny snails can likewise fall prey to certain types of powerhead intakes.
Sizing & Reproduction
The primary goal of a CUC is to clean surfaces you cannot easily reach and eat detritus you cannot otherwise remove before it decays. Thus a balance needs to be struck between the amount of detritus/food your tank produces, and the rate at which the CUC can eat through it. Too many CUC members and all may starve, leading to population crashes. Too few and they won't serve their purpose, necessitating far more tank cleaning and water changes.
Buying CUC in bulk can save money, but some packages include too many members for their suggested tank size, as well as a less than ideal mix of species. As with all livestock, it's generally less stressful on a system to add a few creatures at a time rather than a large amount all at once. Slowly adding more and more CUC members also allows you to scale the CUC to your tank's needs, rather than guessing at numbers using unreliable "recommended per gallon" estimates.
Ideally, CUC members would reproduce in tank and thus be self-limiting, adjusting their population to the food levels. Unfortunately, very few common CUC members can successfully reproduce in the home aquarium: most have free-floating stages that cannot survive filtration or predation. The few exceptions are tiny brittle stars, collonista and stomatella snails, along with some micro-sized strombus species. All are generally only found as hitchhikers on live rock, though more are becoming available for sale with increased aquaculture and popularity.
