Are clean up crews really worth it??

[russell13]

How much work does a clean up crew (specifically hermit crabs) do?? I’ve seen snails mow down algae but never noticed much of a difference when adding hermits.

 

[Bryce M.]

Snails are awesome. Hermits are good for left overs.

 

[JoshO]

Following

 

[hart24601]

I have found hermits quite useful for covering areas snails can't get to. For example if there is a section of coral that died, snails will not cross the living tissue (generally) while hermits will. I tried to go without hermits, but had far better results after I added them. Of course that doesn't mean a person needs hermits, just my experiences with them.

 

[Cell]

I'm regretting adding a bunch of hermit crabs. They crawl all over and steal food from corals during feeding time. But yes, they also clean up any leftover food bits.

 

[Evan28395950]

I love hermit crabs because they eat the leftovers when I over feed lol

 

[35ppt]

I don't add hermits, I like nassarius for leftover food. I also like to have some trochus and cerith but I don't put many in. You can always add more if you think you need more. Better to start with less IMO.

 

[nereefpat]

Cleanup crew members can be interesting inhabitants. They eat leftover food. The biggest benefit is when something dies, as that is when a real clean up happens.

Edit: that being said, I have no cleanup crew

 

[AcroNem]

I don't add hermit crabs any more. I find they just end up killing my snails for shells even if there are shells present. There are many types of snails that do well, urchins are great, brittle and serpent stars are great too.

 

[Gareth elliott]

I keep various snails, each with its own area they do best in.
Cucumbers for cleaning my sand.
And pom pom crabs and coral banded shrimp for entertainment when the tank lights go out, i am sure they help a little, but really not what they are there for lol. They take the place if having hermits to watch. And dont harm my snails, or corals. (I keep with the yellow coral banded shrimp, stay small so the chance of catching a fish is virtually impossible)

Hermits do help, but like above just make me buy snails more often in the end.

 

[Dw79]

Snails are great for cleaning algae, I'm done with crabs.

 

[Cell]

I feel your pain.

 

[esther]

We were going through a pretty bad diatom phase and I ended up buying a full on CUC from @reefcleaners. I would make that decision 1000 times over. The CUC cleared ALL of the algae from the tank in 48 hours. I couldn't be happier. We got snails, hermits and crabs and a couple of peppermint shrimp. Best decision ever.

 

[rastareefs]

I like using hermits because I have sand, sometimes I get some growth on the sand bed and hermits are more likely to clear it away versus my snails who usually hang out on the rock and glass.

 

[Lapras]

i have a few hermits, and mostly snails. cucumber as well. hermits are annoying bc they get trapped in my corals and sometimes try to claw their way out. they're better in my sump.

 

[User1]

How much work does a clean up crew (specifically hermit crabs) do?? I’ve seen snails mow down algae but never noticed much of a difference when adding hermits.

How much depends on the clean up crew mix, population, and tank maturing and/or condition. The key to all clean up crew and/or packages is to properly size it and add only what is necessary. Too early there isn't enough food and they will slowly starve. Hermits will have food and shells but we as a hobbyist missed the opportunity while also wasting money. On the other hand too late means you won't have enough to possibly notice their work. Not sure if you have other utility fish to battle algae but back to adding not enough and too late means they won't be able to keep up.

Plenty of hermits to choose from but some are terrors while others calm. Micro hermits from IPSF come to mind of staying small and not eating larger snails for their homes. Blue legs I've seen battle one another until only one or two are left. Red leg or scarlets I've had better luck with. I do not recommend buying a package or bulk of something mixed and/or unknown but rather stay with what I know.

Not sure if this helps but properly sized and added at the right time you will always find both snails and hermits working together to control the algae. And lastly if the snails are on your glass and not on the rock where the algae is - reach in and move them... Sometimes snails will stay on the glass and need guidance to get back to the rocks...

Best of luck.

 

[xxkenny90xx]

My hermit is great for rearranging my rockwork and killing my fish!