Good bare bottom clean-up crew

[retracttam]

It seems pretty easy to find good recommendations for cleaner crews for reef tanks. There are some great write-ups of snails in this forum (this)! But specifically I can't find much for a bare bottom tank setup.

Outside of astraea, trochus and Mexican turbo, are there other options? My tank is young and fish poop isn't much of a problem, but snail poop seems to accumulate visibily. I remove it daily since it is easy to get to but can I add something to help consume it?

 

[ahiggins]

You’ll have poop accumulation when you have a lot of snails and the flow doesn’t “match” the tank. I have to too because the flow is lower in my tank. My bare bottom has scarlet hermits, astraea, trochus, and a turbo. I get detritus build up in one corner due to the flow pattern but it’s super easy to Turkey baster it out lol

 

[bacc2bacc]

Banded trochus snails are what I found to be the best all around, most hardiest snails you can add to your tank. All I have are trochus and a few Ceriths. The trochus eat everything algae wise for me except bubble algae

 

[RedReefer]

Is there a place to order snails that are quarantined from fish disease so we can add the clean up crew straight to the display?

 

[bacc2bacc]

Is there a place to order snails that are quarantined from fish disease so we can add the clean up crew straight to the display?

I live by 2 awesome reef shops that offer cuc for sale. I’m sure you live close to some too I would check there first because buying online meaning you’ll have to pay a premium to get them shipped to you, also during winter makes the transport harsh on them.

 

[ahiggins]

Is there a place to order snails that are quarantined from fish disease so we can add the clean up crew straight to the display?

I’ve always got my cuc from reef cleaners. Never had any hitchhikers or algae on them.

 

[Greybeard]

Trochus, Astraea, and Nerite snails...

Bristle tooth tangs are excellent algae eaters, and quite happy in a bare bottom tank.

 

[retracttam]

Trochus, Astraea, and Nerite snails...

Bristle tooth tangs are excellent algae eaters, and quite happy in a bare bottom tank.

I actually love the bristle tooth tangs! Is there any possible issues into introducing a tang into a newer tank? It is 5 weeks old. A few weeks after no measurable ammonia or nitriteI've moved the inhabitants from my old nano into the new display which consists of a lightning clown, a royal gramma, a cleaner shrimp and a fire shrimp. At the moment there are give astraea and two mexican turbo snails in there. I almost thing my LFS had them mislabeled b/c they look more like trochus to me.

 

[Greybeard]

As long as your bio filter is keeping up with current load (no ammonia or nitrite readings), and your tank isn't over crowded, you should be able to add a fish.

Tomini are my top choice, they stay relatively small. The orange stripe, if you've got a bit enough tank to handle a tang the size of a dinner plate

I've got a juvenile tomini and a juvenile scopus in my 140. I'll likely have to re-home the scopus at some point... they get quite large, but that's years from now

Oh, in a new tank like that, keep 'em fed. Nori sheets, something to pick at... there's not going to be much algae in a new tank for them to browse on.

 

[AZMSGT]

First, welcome to the forum. what tank size do you have?

Pick snails that don’t burrow. In my bare bottom I have cerith, mexican turbos, Nassarius, nerite, and Trochas. All are just fine in there.

 

[retracttam]

First, welcome to the forum. what tank size do you have?

Pick snails that don’t burrow. In my bare bottom I have cerith, mexican turbos, Nassarius, nerite, and Trochas. All are just fine in there.

Thanks! I have a Red Sea Reefer 250 Deluxe which is right at 60g.

 

[Greybeard]

Thanks! I have a Red Sea Reefer 250 Deluxe which is right at 60g.

Hm. I'd stay away from those tangs, then. 60g is a bit tight for tangs.

Stick with the snails... I'm not big on Hermits, but some folks like 'em.

Urchins... they can be a bit of a bulldozer, but they're excellent algae eaters. I've got a pencil urchin in my bare bottom, he's doing well.

Shrimps, too, might be considered cleanup crew... they don't do anything for algae, but they're great detrivores... picking at leftover food and such that might find it's way into the rockwork. I like skunk cleaners, but coral banded shrimp, scarlet shrimp, there's lots of varieties.

 

[Reefasaurus X]

It seems pretty easy to find good recommendations for cleaner crews for reef tanks. There are some great write-ups of snails in this forum (this)! But specifically I can't find much for a bare bottom tank setup.

Outside of astraea, trochus and Mexican turbo, are there other options? My tank is young and fish poop isn't much of a problem, but snail poop seems to accumulate visibily. I remove it daily since it is easy to get to but can I add something to help consume it?

I’ve had a bare bottom tank for many years. About 60% of the visible part has corals growing in on it. I have plenty of hermit crabs that do the trick. If you do hermit’s, you must get blue legged reef hermits. The really tiny ones. They seem to live forever, they don’t get big and obnoxious, and they’re always cleaning. For some reason none of the LFS seem to ever have them, so you have to buy them online. I recommend one per gallon. Do not buy the straight up brown ones that you often see at the LFS. They don’t work as well and they end up dying overtime. I got away from snails a long time ago. I’m pretty sure the hermits end up eating them.

 

[X-37B]

Turbos, other snails, cleaner shrimp, fire shrimp, couple peppermint shrimp, 4 emerald crabs, 2 brittle stars, in my 120 BB.
Been picking out asterina starfish lately as the have been eating, the white spots, my coralline. Pulled out around 40 in the last few days. Should have started pulling them out when I saw them 7 months ago when I set it up. They spread quickly.

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Never had a bare bottom tank, but IME trochus snails are awesome for most anything.