Bottom feader or CUC recommendation

[CaliCO]

Hi,
So I have a 29 gallon tank I plan on making into a reef eventually. Right now I have two Ocellaris clowns. I also have a good amount of rock and about 2" of live sand. The clownfish don't eat much but I notice they don't really scavenge for food they miss on the substrate. What would you recommend for my next fish/creature that would help cleanup of the uneaten food? I want to keep a fairly low bioload in this tank since it will be my first reef and I want to set myself up for success. Any help is appreciated!

 

[BlennyTime]

I’d consider a skunk cleaner shrimp, always a favorite and chases food down. Or if you want a snail to handle it, the nassarius is a good choice.

 

[CaliCO]

I’d consider a skunk cleaner shrimp, always a favorite and chases food down. Or if you want a snail to handle it, the nassarius is a good choice.

Those look both like great options. Would a fire shrimp also be good scavengers? I like how the look a little more than the skunk. Skunk is still awesome though!

 

[HeyJay]

Those look both like great options. Would a fire shrimp also be good scavengers? I like how the look a little more than the skunk. Skunk is still awesome though!

Fire shrimp and skunk shrimp have very similar behavior. Though in my experience the fire shrimp will hide more so it's a trade-off to getting the bright color.

 

[Philly Reefer]

Get some snails. Nassarius, banded Trochus.
Blue legged hermit crabs.

 

[CaliCO]

Fire shrimp and skunk shrimp have very similar behavior. Though in my experience the fire shrimp will hide more so it's a trade-off to getting the bright color.

Hmm.. I might like the cleaner shrimp better then. I have a feeling the fire shrimp would choose to hide right next to where my clowns have hosted (the best cave) which might be an issue.

 

[ichthyogeek]

My vote's for Nassarius snails. They'll just hoover up all the leftover food that the clownfish miss.

Although ideally, you're feeding only what the clowns can eat in a set time period. What are they eating, and can you space it out so they'll only go after it and have less of a chance of missing? For example, with pellets, you can feed one or two at a time, so the fish will only eat those pellets and will not miss as much as opposed to feeding 20-30 at a time.

 

[KingTideCorals]

Nasarius snails would work well, cleaner shrimps are fun to have in tanks and they go after extra food!

 

[catalystNfacade]

Bumblebee Snails are a nice addition. They're tiny and can get into places a Nassarius can't. I'm currently trying to decide if I should get rid of my Nassarius Snails and replace them with bumblebee ones. Tank is 16 gallons though

 

[flampton]

If you want the best cleaners of detritus than you want bristles. They get a bad rap but they will get all the uneaten food. Their population is controlled by how much detritus. Overfeed and you'll get a lot, underfeed and they'll die back. In essence they're self regulating.

 

[CaliCO]

Get some snails. Nassarius, banded Trochus.
Blue legged hermit crabs.

Th

My vote's for Nassarius snails. They'll just hoover up all the leftover food that the clownfish miss.

Although ideally, you're feeding only what the clowns can eat in a set time period. What are they eating, and can you space it out so they'll only go after it and have less of a chance of missing? For example, with pellets, you can feed one or two at a time, so the fish will only eat those pellets and will not miss as much as opposed to feeding 20-30 at a time.

Yeah I do feed them only a few pellets at a time but they inevitably miss some. Ive tried multiple frozen foods but they have zero interest.. My clowns are tiny right now and sometimes they just miss a pellet or two.

 

[Philly Reefer]

Th


Yeah I do feed them only a few pellets at a time but they inevitably miss some. Ive tried multiple frozen foods but they have zero interest.. My clowns are tiny right now and sometimes they just miss a pellet or two.

What kind of frozen food are you giving them? My 2 clowns are tiny too around 1.5 inches.
I gave them frozen mysis, brine shrimp, and mega marine algae. All from hikari. And they loved them. Pellets using tdo chroma boost.
I also give them raw shrimp sometimes. They would eat the small chopped up piece but leave the slightly bigger one alone

 

[CaliCO]

What kind of frozen food are you giving them? My 2 clowns are tiny too around 1.5 inches.
I gave them frozen mysis, brine shrimp, and mega marine algae. All from hikari. And they loved them. Pellets using tdo chroma boost.
I also give them raw shrimp sometimes. They would eat the small chopped up piece but leave the slightly bigger one alone

I have tried frozen mysis, brine, and blood worms so far.. seem to have zero interest. They've been in the tank since last weekend so maybe they just need more time to get settled in. Right now I'm using PE mysis pellets and they love those

 

[Philly Reefer]

I have tried frozen mysis, brine, and blood worms so far.. seem to have zero interest. They've been in the tank since last weekend so maybe they just need more time to get settled in. Right now I'm using PE mysis pellets and they love those

They might be a picky eaters then. Try get some garlic extract or in my case I have Aquaforest Fish V. It contains garlic. 1 drop per frozen food.
I put them on a small container with tank water for 5mins then give it to them.

 

[BlennyTime]

Bumblebee Snails are a nice addition. They're tiny and can get into places a Nassarius can't. I'm currently trying to decide if I should get rid of my Nassarius Snails and replace them with bumblebee ones. Tank is 16 gallons though

They certainly are fun looking, but keep in mind they are carnivorous and will turn on other snails if there isn’t enough food for them to eat.

Cerith snails do much the same thing, if you are just looking for a small snail to get back into crevices.

It’s a good thing to have more than one type of snail though, they all have different strengths and weaknesses.

 

[najer]

Dove snails, like little nassa snails and they live in your sand, any food that hits the sand pulls them out of the sand within a minute, oh and they breed like crazy.