Help me find gravel clean up crew!

[vaguelyreeflike]

Our 125 frag tank has crushed coral gravel as substrate, chunks are about 10-12mm in size.
Sand sifters are probably a no go, what can I put in here that will clean the substrate?

I am unable to gravel vacuum it without taking all of the egg crate out which houses our frags.
Pics of the algae.

 

[blaxsun]

Cerith snails, all types of nassarius snails, conches, hermit crabs and black sea cumumbera.

 

[mdb_talon]

I have similar size gravel in one of my tanks. I find nassarius still do just fine, fighting conchs as generally the substrate is all they clean, and abalones are what has worked best for me. Surprisingly I find my money cowries down there a lot (where when I have a finer substrate they never spend any time in it).

 

[blaxsun]

I have similar size gravel in one of my tanks. I find nassarius still do just fine, fighting conchs as generally the substrate is all they clean, and abalones are what has worked best for me. Surprisingly I find my money cowries down there a lot (where when I have a finer substrate they never spend any time in it).

My ring cowries were also in the sand when I had larger substrate, but now that I'm using oolite they never leave the rocks.

 

[Subsea]

Add amphipods, copepods and bristle worms.

: : : : Indo-Pacific Sea Farms : : : :

Indo-Pacific Sea Farms produces captive-bred marine life for healthier reef aquariums: invertebrates, detritivores, live sand, snail grazers, amphipods, beneficial worms, macro algae, plankton, corals, coral food and beneficial bacteria.

ipsf.com

Baby BristleWorms™
Most experienced reefkeepers strongly believe in the beneficial effects of bristle worms on the sand bed. We hold the view that bristle worms and other sand bed scavengers are vitally important components of reef ecosystems, both captive and wild. Our Baby Bristle Worms package comes with 6 fine young specimens, all about 0.5 - 1.0 inches in length. Our clams and corals are grown in commercial mariculture tanks in close proximity with literally thousands of happily breeding bristleworms. Simply put, bristleworms are to reef tanks what earthworms are to gardens. Bristle worms constantly stir the reef tank sand bed and help keep it aerobic. They consume uneaten fish food and fish waste, preventing dead and decaying organic matter from accumulating on top of the sand bed. Baby Bristle Worms will mature rapidly and reproduce to levels that are consistent with the available resources (food and space) in your reef tank. 100% Captive-Bred.

 

[vaguelyreeflike]

Add amphipods, copepods and bristle worms.

: : : : Indo-Pacific Sea Farms : : : :

Indo-Pacific Sea Farms produces captive-bred marine life for healthier reef aquariums: invertebrates, detritivores, live sand, snail grazers, amphipods, beneficial worms, macro algae, plankton, corals, coral food and beneficial bacteria.

ipsf.com

Baby BristleWorms™
Most experienced reefkeepers strongly believe in the beneficial effects of bristle worms on the sand bed. We hold the view that bristle worms and other sand bed scavengers are vitally important components of reef ecosystems, both captive and wild. Our Baby Bristle Worms package comes with 6 fine young specimens, all about 0.5 - 1.0 inches in length. Our clams and corals are grown in commercial mariculture tanks in close proximity with literally thousands of happily breeding bristleworms. Simply put, bristleworms are to reef tanks what earthworms are to gardens. Bristle worms constantly stir the reef tank sand bed and help keep it aerobic. They consume uneaten fish food and fish waste, preventing dead and decaying organic matter from accumulating on top of the sand bed. Baby Bristle Worms will mature rapidly and reproduce to levels that are consistent with the available resources (food and space) in your reef tank. 100% Captive-Bred.

I actually hadnt thought of utilizing bristleworms, i slacked on maintenance in one of our sand tanks and its absolutely ‘infested’ right now, ill move some over vs feeding them to the wrasses. I know they’re beneficial and love their work, but anyone over 4-5” is disposed of when theyre found. I cant actually do anything with this substrate in terms of handling/substrate cleaning so id never meet the worms in there like i do the other tanks.

 

[vaguelyreeflike]

I have similar size gravel in one of my tanks. I find nassarius still do just fine, fighting conchs as generally the substrate is all they clean, and abalones are what has worked best for me. Surprisingly I find my money cowries down there a lot (where when I have a finer substrate they never spend any time in it).

Thats awesome! I was worried the substrate would be too rough for the burrowing snails. Ill definitely add more cerith and ill try some nassarius, ive been waiting for money cowries to pop up on our order list, theres always the risk we might get a different species sent to us though so im hesitant. Some of the fighting conch weve ordered before came in at about 4-5” so ill throw a couple big ones in there if we get more that size. We also have a 3” sand sifting conch right now that hasnt sold in a while. Hmm options haha. Cucumber would be cool too.
I thought i was going to be so much more limited

 

[vtecintegra]

I doubt any cucumber can consume 10 to 12 mm gravel.

 

[vaguelyreeflike]

Added this sand sifting conch last night, as well as a bunch of cerith snails. I plan to add a few money cowrie as we just got a big shipment of them in and they’re gorgeous. We also have two Tomini tangs finally in so they’re quarantining, if one doesnt sell by Christmas then it’ll also be going into the tank (he’ll be for the racks, not the gravel obviously).
also added picture of our only two fish in the 125 at the moment, our unnamed algae blenny and scopas tang.

 

[vaguelyreeflike]

Would a Horseshoe crab work lol? Is a 125g too small?

 

[vtecintegra]

An animal that grows to over two feet long if it has proper nutrition, in a 125g?

 

[vaguelyreeflike]

An animal that grows to over two feet long if it has proper nutrition, in a 125g?

How fast do they grow though? We could sell once it outgrows the tank, they arrive at under 4” long