Need a cleaner

[fugetaboutit05]

I’m looking for suggestions on an effective substrate cleaning crew. Ive got a case of the diatoms lol, and i would like to add another faction to my cleaner crew.

Cleaning crew already consists of 5 mixed species hermit crabs, 1 jeweled blenny, and 14 snails (mix between Astrea, trochus, & turbo)

The snails have done a phenomenal job on the rock formations and glass, but nothing is cleaning the substrate (crushed coral bed @ 2.5”)

 

[sp1187]

a few tiger/strawberry conchs will take care of it.

 

[UnderseaOddities]

a few tiger/strawberry conchs will take care of it.

Maybe a sandsifting star you'll be golden

 

[southerntnreefer]

id avoid the star until the tank is far more stable, but nassarius or conches would be my go to.

 

[sp1187]

Maybe a sandsifting star you'll be golden

naaaa, I'm gonna go with 3-5 conchs depending on tank size. I feed very heavy, have 20+ fish in a 150high, never vac the sand and have never had a cyano breakout in the sand.

 

[sp1187]

plus conchs are cuter.

 

[Nathan Milender]

I’m looking for suggestions on an effective substrate cleaning crew. Ive got a case of the diatoms lol, and i would like to add another faction to my cleaner crew.

Cleaning crew already consists of 5 mixed species hermit crabs, 1 jeweled blenny, and 14 snails (mix between Astrea, trochus, & turbo)

The snails have done a phenomenal job on the rock formations and glass, but nothing is cleaning the substrate (crushed coral bed @ 2.5”)

I have had good luck with the conchs and sand sifting star. Many of the fish do things in the sand but not enough to really matter. As far as I can tell the hermits do just about nothing in the sand except look for food and eat snails, very little turnover. I have seen some posts about sand dollars and I would like to try one but I have yet to find one. If your tank is new diatoms usually die out but dinos and/or cyano can be more of an issue. If you are sure it is really diatoms it will likely pass regardless of what you do.

 

[UnderseaOddities]

Tom the three eyed three peckered tiger conch

 

[UnderseaOddities]

Those star fish mouths can be kinda offsetting if you look at them to long, those and bristles worms and spinoids creep out my one buddy

 

[UnderseaOddities]

Urchins are cool to if your tank is mature enough

 

[Tiki Reef Joshua]

Diamond goby is the best gravel man in the game.

 

[MichaelReefer]

a few tiger/strawberry conchs will take care of it.

 

[sp1187]

i have a basslet that thinks it's a sand sifter.

 

[fugetaboutit05]

Diamond goby is the best gravel man in the game.

Just picked up a Bella, and he’s going to WORK lol...

 

[Cole.mormon]

I know im late
But In a 60 dt 4in sand bed
I have a pincushion urchin. A pencil urchin and a diamond goby

 

[Cole.mormon]

For the sand

 

[Cole.mormon]

I would like tk get a brittle star and a conch

 

[fugetaboutit05]

I know im late
But In a 60 dt 4in sand bed
I have a pincushion urchin. A pencil urchin and a diamond goby

I tried several gobies, unfortunately when i started the tank i was uneducated and added the WRONG combo of tank inhabitants. Every goby i have put in there has been chased out by the pair of Fire Clowns, so it is now a semi aggressive tank lol. Couple tangs, the fire clowns, and a foxface. So gobies aren’t an option.

I do like the urchin idea, but i have a few Nems in the tank as well, unsure of how that’ll work out.

Oh nvmd, i added a snowflake eel that i somewhat forget about from time to time lol... so there is 1 predator in the tank which complicates things when i attempt to add any cleaning crew.

From my last post, i picked up a gravel siphon and a protein skimmer. Hoping this will begin to abate further Algea growth. Substrate looks decent from the vacuuming, but i do still have a green film on my Live Rock & all Dry aquascaping that is in the tank. That is what I’m fighting currently.