best cleanup for frag tank (eggcrate)

[CoralWealth]

Hello!

I am looking for recommendations on the best cleanup crew for my frag tank that is mostly eggcrate on top of 3-4 inches PVC pipe.

I was thinking to get some hermit crabs but will they be able to get up around 3 inches of PVC pipe to get on the eggcrate? That is where all the algae is growing or what do you guys recommend as far as snails go?

 

[Retro Reefer]

Most any CUC members will find their way onto frag rack including hermits.

 

[ahiggins]

I have almost the exact set up in my 40 breeder. I have live rock on the bottom and a homemade frag rack on top of stilts. I have hermits to clean up the below (I never seen them on the rack because mine don’t/can’t climb lol I have 2 turbos, a handful of trochus and astraea. I also have a yellow coris wrasse and a Midas blenny in there. Midas doesn’t do much except look cute lol see my profile pic lol

 

[CoralWealth]

Thanks yall! I was thinking of adding some liverock on the bottom under some spots of the egg crate so the CUC could get up if they fell off or whatever but I also wanted the bottom open as much as possible for flow.

 

[ahiggins]

Thanks yall! I was thinking of adding some liverock on the bottom under some spots of the egg crate so the CUC could get up if they fell off or whatever but I also wanted the bottom open as much as possible for flow.

That was the trade of lol since I don’t run a sump, I had to maximize space with a gyre running between 20 and 80% I only had 2 dead spots in the bottom that were easily siphonable lol guess I got lucky in that regard

 

[AquamanE]

Following

 

[Mr_Knightley]

I would recommend you try cerith snails, they're super small and can fit through the eggcrate easily, and they're also super awesome CUC. Here's where I got mine, you can get the anywhere though:
live-plants.com

 

[jda]

I like ceriths, astreas (if bare bottom), pin cushions, emerald crabs (for bubble algae) and some peppermints (to pick at the corals). I also like a few fish that will pick a bit - damsels or tangs.

The urchins can move around some frags, but they are a master class in algae eating.

All of this said, but two or three eggcrate frags racks since you might have to swap them out to clean them by hand - there is sometimes just no way around this.

I strongly recommend to lower the flow in the frag tank so that the detritus settles in a few places. This is easier to siphon out and works better than trying to keep it all stirred up so that it can get filtered out which does not always work as well and then it just settles in the sump.