Inverts to clean up extra food?

[Lukeluke]

So I don't have lights, and thus no algae yet, but I'm wondering about inverts that will clean up extra food off the rocks and sand. I have two nassarius snails and two tiny clownfish. I turn off all the pumps when I feed (alternating between lrs reef frenzy, frozen mussels, and frozen mysis), and when they kick back on, a bunch of uneaten food gets stirred back into the water column. I'm apparently incapable of just feeding what the fish need, and the snails aren't getting the rest.

I could get a new fish of course, but I'm suffering from some analysis paralysis and can't decide what to get next. And I'd like to get some algae grazing fish, like a yellow tang, but again, no algae yet.

I guess this is a two-part question.

1. Which of the inverts would be good at cleaning up extra meaty foods?

2. Am I as limited on what I can stock without naturally growing algae as I think I am?

 

[Ro Bow]

urchins. sea stars. check out live aquaria. some inverts have descriptions in which it states they may eat detrius and/or uneaten food

 

[NowGlazeIT]

My tangs don’t eat much fresh algae these days. They used to but not since the coralline grew over. I feed my tangs a sheet of nori once a day. Every now n then, I go to the lfs and pick up some macro algae for a treat.
good cuc for uneaten food are hermit crabs, shrimp, snails

 

[Lukeluke]

urchins. sea stars. check out live aquaria. some inverts have descriptions in which it states they may eat detrius and/or uneaten food

I was under the impression urchins and stars were more into algae. I'll take a closer look. I saw the urchin hat thread and decided I eventually wanted one, so that would be great.

 

[NowGlazeIT]

I was under the impression urchins and stars were more into algae. I'll take a closer look. I saw the urchin hat thread and decided I eventually wanted one, so that would be great.

Correct urchins love algae

 

[Lukeluke]

Sounds like I'll just need to get some algae to feed rather than waiting on wild algae.

 

[CanuckReefer]

What size is this tank? It matters....

 

[Lukeluke]

What size is this tank? It matters....

75g

 

[Jekyl]

75g

I'd recommend reefcleaners.org and get the package for a 25 gallon or so.

 

[Radu]

So I don't have lights, and thus no algae yet, but I'm wondering about inverts that will clean up extra food off the rocks and sand. I have two nassarius snails and two tiny clownfish. I turn off all the pumps when I feed (alternating between lrs reef frenzy, frozen mussels, and frozen mysis), and when they kick back on, a bunch of uneaten food gets stirred back into the water column. I'm apparently incapable of just feeding what the fish need, and the snails aren't getting the rest.

I could get a new fish of course, but I'm suffering from some analysis paralysis and can't decide what to get next. And I'd like to get some algae grazing fish, like a yellow tang, but again, no algae yet.

I guess this is a two-part question.

1. Which of the inverts would be good at cleaning up extra meaty foods?

2. Am I as limited on what I can stock without naturally growing algae as I think I am?

For a 75g I would get 30-50 more nassarius snails (there are big and small type, I use some of both), and 6-12 turbos, 1 fire shrimp, 1 urchin.

I used to turn off my pumps when feeding but I stopped turning anything off when feeding and am never going back especially with clownfish. My observations are that clownfish in the wild catch food as it passes by them while they host an anemone and my clowns are able to do this in my super high flow SPS tanks no problem. Its much more entertaining for me and them. You would not believe how fast and accurate they are. My tang moves like Neo from the Matrix when its feeding time. I run a filter sock and change it when its overflowing every couple of days. That bit of overflow in the filter socks fees the copepods in the fuge and then I have a chamber with marinepure blocks completely lined up so no food can hit my return pump or skimmer pump.

 

[Bouncingsoul39]

Nassarius snails, the Tongan varieties preferably.

 

[Lukeluke]

I'd recommend reefcleaners.org and get the package for a 25 gallon or so.

For a 75g I would get 30-50 more nassarius snails (there are big and small type, I use some of both), and 6-12 turbos, 1 fire shrimp, 1 urchin.

I used to turn off my pumps when feeding but I stopped turning anything off when feeding and am never going back especially with clownfish. My observations are that clownfish in the wild catch food as it passes by them while they host an anemone and my clowns are able to do this in my super high flow SPS tanks no problem. Its much more entertaining for me and them. You would not believe how fast and accurate they are. My tang moves like Neo from the Matrix when its feeding time. I run a filter sock and change it when its overflowing every couple of days. That bit of overflow in the filter socks fees the copepods in the fuge and then I have a chamber with marinepure blocks completely lined up so no food can hit my return pump or skimmer pump.

That feels like a lot of stuff. For whatever my "feel" is worth. Could be I'm under-estimating the amount of surface area in the tank, but it seems like all those critters would be shoulder to shoulder without much breathing room. Particularly the 30 - 50 nassarius. Like there wouldn't be enough sand bed for them to bury themselves in. Is that kind of snail volume assuming some of them will die anyway? I guess my question is why that much volume when I only have two fish I want to pick up after?

I only have an HOB filter at the moment, but maybe that should be the only thing I turn off for feeding. Leave it off for an hour or so and let the powerheads run. I'll give that a try and see how it goes.

 

[Jekyl]

That feels like a lot of stuff. For whatever my "feel" is worth. Could be I'm under-estimating the amount of surface area in the tank, but it seems like all those critters would be shoulder to shoulder without much breathing room. Particularly the 30 - 50 nassarius. Like there wouldn't be enough sand bed for them to bury themselves in. Is that kind of snail volume assuming some of them will die anyway? I guess my question is why that much volume when I only have two fish I want to pick up after?

I only have an HOB filter at the moment, but maybe that should be the only thing I turn off for feeding. Leave it off for an hour or so and let the powerheads run. I'll give that a try and see how it goes.

That many nassarius snails would be a bit much. However the package I recommended is not too many at all. Some are VERY tiny.

 

[Lukeluke]

That many nassarius snails would be a bit much. However the package I recommended is not too many at all. Some are VERY tiny.

Okie doke. I'll give it a go. Thanks!

Edit: Actually, would the package with the emerald/mithrax crab be good? Or were you thinking the all snail package?

 

[Jekyl]

Okie doke. I'll give it a go. Thanks!

Edit: Actually, would the package with the emerald/mithrax crab be good? Or were you thinking the all snail package?

If you don't have them I would get the emeralds and hermits with the package

 

[Radu]

That feels like a lot of stuff. For whatever my "feel" is worth. Could be I'm under-estimating the amount of surface area in the tank, but it seems like all those critters would be shoulder to shoulder without much breathing room. Particularly the 30 - 50 nassarius. Like there wouldn't be enough sand bed for them to bury themselves in. Is that kind of snail volume assuming some of them will die anyway? I guess my question is why that much volume when I only have two fish I want to pick up after?

I only have an HOB filter at the moment, but maybe that should be the only thing I turn off for feeding. Leave it off for an hour or so and let the powerheads run. I'll give that a try and see how it goes.

I agree it feels like a lot but its not really. I have over 35 nassarius in a 57 gallon with two clowns in it with sandbed and this is what works for me.

Here is a video of one of my nassarius snails 8 years ago: that tank is a 3.4 Gallon pico tank and I use more than 3 nassarius in it for success.

When you do get lights the secret about the nassarius snails and keeping the sandbed clean is that they don't actually eat algae off the sand they just flip the sand over daily which is what I have observed maintenance people at World Wide Corals do every morning manually via an algae scraper taped to a long pvc pipe.

I don't have a shoulder to shoulder problem in my tank and about 30 of them are the big type.

 

[Lukeluke]

I agree it feels like a lot but its not really. I have over 35 nassarius in a 57 gallon with two clowns in it with sandbed and this is what works for me.

Here is a video of one of my nassarius snails 8 years ago: that tank is a 3.4 Gallon pico tank and I use more than 3 nassarius in it for success.

When you do get lights the secret about the nassarius snails and keeping the sandbed clean is that they don't actually eat algae off the sand they just flip the sand over daily which is what I have observed maintenance people at World Wide Corals do every morning manually via an algae scraper taped to a long pvc pipe.

I don't have a shoulder to shoulder problem in my tank and about 30 of them are the big type.

Fair enough. The tank probably just looks smaller to me than it is.

My sister came to visit today and was all about getting me an urchin, so I now have a pink tuxedo too. So there's that. ;Joyful

 

[Jekyl]

Fair enough. The tank probably just looks smaller to me than it is.

My sister came to visit today and was all about getting me an urchin, so I now have a pink tuxedo too. So there's that. ;Joyful

Get some algae going for it then.

 

[Radu]

Fair enough. The tank probably just looks smaller to me than it is.

My sister came to visit today and was all about getting me an urchin, so I now have a pink tuxedo too. So there's that. ;Joyful

Nice urchins are great. I have pink pin cushion and tuxedo. Like @Jekyl mentioned you should get some nori seaweed for it to eat since you don't have any algae yet.

 

[Lukeluke]

Nice urchins are great. I have pink pin cushion and tuxedo. Like @Jekyl mentioned you should get some nori seaweed for it to eat since you don't have any algae yet.

Get some algae going for it then.

I'm ordering lights as we speak. So much for putting that purchase off. ;Wacky

I did pick up some wafers to hold her over. Would the Nori sheets be better?