Clean-Up Crew
From ReefPedia
There are a number of small invertebrates that are given the nickname "Clean-Up Crew" The critters, like snails, crabs, shrimp, starfish, and urchins are meant to keep the aquarium clean by removing excess waste. The typical aquarium has a mixture of these creatures.
Most of the common reef inverts can be found online or at your local fish store. Expect to pay a high price when you buy them at a local store. All prices reflect typical local fish stores.
Astrea Snail: $1.50-3 - cone shaped, excellent at eating a variety of algaes. Most known for eating hair algae, the stringy, green fast growing stuff
Cerith Snail: $1.50-3 - Shaped like a circle connected to a triangle. Best used for removing film off the class and eating left over food and waste in the sandbed.
Nassarius Snail $1.50-3 - Similar shape as the cerith snail, but usually smaller and wider. This snail is great at removing excess waste and food from the sandbed or bottom of the aquarium.
Blue Leg Hermit Crab $1-2 - Named for their blue legs, they are known to eat extra food and waste. Sometimes they will eat algae and your snails so beware!
Red Leg Hermit Crab $1-2 - Similar to blue legs, but larger in size. Some will eat snails and others will not.
Emerald Crab: $6-10 - Dark green in color and very strong, good bubble algae eaters.
Brittle Starfish: $7-12 - These starfish are very cool and appear spiny. They are good at removing extra food and waste from the aquarium. Beware they do have teeth and can bite.
Serpent Starfish: $7-15 - This typically come in the color green, but there are several variations. They have similar characteristics to brittle stars, but have smooth legs. They have also been known to eat small fish so be cautious when purchasing this invertebrate.
Peppermint Shrimp: $8-15 - Good at removing excess food, will also eat pest anemones like aiptasia.
Cleaner Shrimp: $16-23 - Good at removing excess food, and may help remove ich and other parasite from fish.
Urchins: $7-15 - These come in a number of varieties. They have pointy spines which can cause pain and scratch acrylic aquariums.
My personal prefernce for a 75 Soft Coral/LPS tank would include something like this:
40-50 Astrea Snails 20-25 Cerith Snails 20-25 Nassarius Snails 10-15 Blue Leg Hermits 10-15 Red Leg Hermits 1 Brittle Starfish 1 Serpent Starfish 2 Emerald Crabs 2 Peppermint Shrimp 1-2 Cleaner Shrimp 1 Urchin
You need to figure out what clean-up crew will work for you. The list above may not be best for your aquarium. The list above reflects a highly stocked aquarium.
Overtime you will need to replenish your clean-up crew as some may die off or be eaten.
Article originally contributed by RazerCorals Want to contribute an article in your company's name? Email us!
