looking for invert to eat excess food

[sheatime]

I have some snails and a few hermit crabs and an emerald crab, just looking for something to help eat up the excess pellet food.

 

[Naiad]

What size tank do you have and what are the current inhabitants?

 

[sheatime]

size is 60 gallon
current inhabitants are yellow tang, true percula clownfish, orange stripe cardinal, bangai cardinal, torch coral, carpet anenome

 

[Naiad]

Hmm I would be a little worried about the carpet anemone eventually munching them but peppermint shrimp will clean up any extra food.

 

[sheatime]

Oh okay. Yeah I was looking at those or banded coral shrimp

 

[Naiad]

They are great if you don't plan on adding another shrimp as they are very territorial. One or a mated pair would be fine in your tank. Just be sure there is a free cave.

 

[sheatime]

Okay cool. Yeah I may have to re-aqua scape a cave lol

 

[kacrocorals581]

easy nassarius snail I'll take them over any shrimp any day and won't steal food or irritate corals like shrimp well

 

[sheatime]

Wouldn't a nessarius only hang out on/near the sand though?

 

[GreatWhiteTang]

Nassarius and conchs for uneaten foods.. For rocks and glass I like margaritas/Mexican turbos/astrea

 

[kacrocorals581]

Wouldn't a nessarius only hang out on/near the sand though?

no not at all soon as food hits the water they come out the sand like zombies from a horror movie lol ready to eat eat eat they start right up the glass to me and I actually feed mine brine shrimp pretty cool to watch them eat on the glass Idk were they put all the food but goodness can they eat

 

[sheatime]

Oh okay that's super cool

 

[LetItReef]

Look into Skunk cleaner shrimp.

 

[fishroomlady]

fighting conch are excellent sand cleaners. You only need one though. I would mention that you may want to cut back a little on the feeding because a lot of excess food leads to elevated nutrients. Excess can also get into rock crevices and such. I know I've seen not to feed more than your fish can consume within 2-3 minutes.

 

[Squishie89]

My fire shrimp is like a little vaccum eating pellets and mysis, even if it means stealing from the snails, but she only stays on the left side of my 90g tank.

 

[arashsheikhpoor]

I have peppermints as well as a carpet nem and they have been fin in the 75.

 

[iretthepirate]

I wouldn't get peppermint shrimp or coral banded they will either eat your coral or your other tank mates. sexy shrimp will do good with carpet anemone and they will eat your pellets

 

[RaymondL]

So many options! I'm going to avoid hermit crabs - having the need for extra shells around the tank I"m not so keen on as real estate is an issue since my tank is small. Plus, I rather not have to deal as well with them attacking the snails for shells.

 

[RaymondL]

Nassarius and conchs for uneaten foods.. For rocks and glass I like margaritas/Mexican turbos/astrea

That's the plan - thanks. Do I need extra shells for conchs, I"m assuming they don't need to switch shells from time to time?

 

[Slocke]

That's the plan - thanks. Do I need extra shells for conchs, I"m assuming they don't need to switch shells from time to time?

No, snails grow with their shells. It's hermit crabs that need new shells thus they eat the snails and steal their shells.