Share Your Cleanup Crew!

[Gweeds1980]

Don't go in for the regular snails much, save for the nass to turn over the sand...

My list in my 320g:

3 tuxedo urchins
'Some' nassarius snails (about 20 or so, not really sure)
5 blue leg hermits
Emerald crab
Acro crab
Tiger cowrie
Orange lipped conches
Somewhere in the region of 1,000,000 asterinas and micro brittle stars!
Bristleworms

For pest control:
Green wrasse
Yellow coris wrasse
Blood shrimp
Cleaner wrasse

Algae control
Yellow tang
Powder blue tang
Orange shoulder tang

 

[keddre]

3 Blue legged Hermits, 3 large hermits of an unknown-to-me breed, 4 astrea snails, a urchin, turbo snail and a sand conch that never digs..If I'm being technical I would include my sea hare but he makes my tank dirtier with all the algae he needs.

Let's not forget my single bristle worm,,,yes only one

 

[Donovan Joannes]

2 turbos (4 was killed by hermits), sand sifter starfish, elegance starfish, 5 hermits, fireworms, bobbit worms, sea cucumber, long spine urchin, blue tuxedo urchin, a handful bristle stars, a couple of unknown algae eater snails I collect from local beach, limpets, cowrie tiger snails (in the sump - caught red handed munching on SPS tips) and a few "vietnamese traditional hat" shaped snails (the best glass cleaner).

 

[tdileo]

Don't go in for the regular snails much, save for the nass to turn over the sand...

My list in my 320g:

3 tuxedo urchins
'Some' nassarius snails (about 20 or so, not really sure)
5 blue leg hermits
Emerald crab
Acro crab
Tiger cowrie
Orange lipped conches
Somewhere in the region of 1,000,000 asterinas and micro brittle stars!
Bristleworms

For pest control:
Green wrasse
Yellow coris wrasse
Blood shrimp
Cleaner wrasse

Algae control
Yellow tang
Powder blue tang
Orange shoulder tang

How is the yellow coris at his job? I'm thinking or getting one for my tank since I've heard they will sometimes eat vermetids and I HATE my vermetids. I wish I knew what they were and scraped them off but they came in all over the base of my toadstool, which was my second coral

 

[tdileo]

2 turbos (4 was killed by hermits), sand sifter starfish, elegance starfish, 5 hermits, fireworms, bobbit worms, sea cucumber, long spine urchin, blue tuxedo urchin, a handful bristle stars, a couple of unknown algae eater snails I collect from local beach, limpets, cowrie tiger snails (in the sump - caught red handed munching on SPS tips) and a few "vietnamese traditional hat" shaped snails (the best glass cleaner).

You seriously keep fire and bobbit worms? They can eat fish and corals when they bump into eachother. Plus the big size freaks me out lol. If any of my bristleworms get above 4" I set out a trap

 

[Gweeds1980]

My coris is great, flatworms, small bristleworms etc all eaten... I've never seen him eat a vermetid but my population is a lot lower than it used to be...

 

[tdileo]

3 Blue legged Hermits, 3 large hermits of an unknown-to-me breed, 4 astrea snails, a urchin, turbo snail and a sand conch that never digs..If I'm being technical I would include my sea hare but he makes my tank dirtier with all the algae he needs.

Let's not forget my single bristle worm,,,yes only one

I don't think it's possible to have just one bristleworm, at least for very long. They can split themselves in half from what I've read and I've had one break into pieces and all of them squirmed away into the rocks

 

[tdileo]

My coris is great, flatworms, small bristleworms etc all eaten... I've never seen him eat a vermetid but my population is a lot lower than it used to be...

I love my 1" bristleworms since they're such good cleaners but definitely wouldn't mind some population control. I think once I stop being lazy and finish netting the open parts of my tank by the return/overflow I will pick one up!

 

[Donovan Joannes]

You seriously keep fire and bobbit worms? They can eat fish and corals when they bump into eachother. Plus the big size freaks me out lol. If any of my bristleworms get above 4" I set out a trap

No. Mother nature gave it to me (fresh live rocks from the South China Sea) . I was good at catching bobbit worms (as bait) with bare hand, might try my luck next time.

 

[keddre]

I don't think it's possible to have just one bristleworm, at least for very long. They can split themselves in half from what I've read and I've had one break into pieces and all of them squirmed away into the rocks

I have a theory that something is making them out as a meal. Or they hide very well, but I do wish they would multiply

 

[Donovan Joannes]

I have a theory that something is making them out as a meal. Or they hide very well, but I do wish they would multiply

You won't see bristle worms that often. Night time (after few hours of darkness) is the best time to investigate what critters you might have.

 

[tdileo]

You won't see bristle worms that often. Night time (after few hours of darkness) is the best time to investigate what critters you might have.

Yeah, same with micro brittle stars. Sometimes I can see the hands waving during the day though lol

 

[keddre]

You won't see bristle worms that often. Night time (after few hours of darkness) is the best time to investigate what critters you might have.

Yeah, same with micro brittle stars. Sometimes I can see the hands waving during the day though lol

That's true, I should check before work one day

 

[Gweeds1980]

I love my 1" bristleworms since they're such good cleaners but definitely wouldn't mind some population control. I think once I stop being lazy and finish netting the open parts of my tank by the return/overflow I will pick one up!

No netting, weir is open, open top... never had a fish jump... touch wood.

 

[tdileo]

No netting, weir is open, open top... never had a fish jump... touch wood.

I had my longnose hawk jump 6 days after I brought him home on a plane with me. I will never risk putting another known jumper in without a 100% closed top. The only hole was a 3x3" one where my return is and a 4x4" one where the overflow is and he found his way out of the return one.

 

[Duraticate]

I have a 60g mixed
My CuC consists of
1 halloween crab
3 zebra hermit crabs. (hate them)
1 blue leg dwarf hermit
2 peppermint shrimp (worthless couple)
1 fireshrimp
1 turbo snail
1 astrea snail
2 trouches snails
3 cerith snails
3 nassarius snails
1 brown spotted nassarius snail (big)
6 bumble bee snails ( or more )
2 of the finger nail looking snails

 

[tdileo]

I have a 60g mixed
My CuC consists of
1 halloween crab
3 zebra hermit crabs. (hate them)
1 blue leg dwarf hermit
2 peppermint shrimp (worthless couple)
1 fireshrimp
1 turbo snail
1 astrea snail
2 trouches snails
3 cerith snails
3 nassarius snails
1 brown spotted nassarius snail (big)
6 bumble bee snails ( or more )
2 of the finger nail looking snails

What's wrong with the zebra hermits? I was going to get a few.

 

[Duraticate]

What's wrong with the zebra hermits? I was going to get a few.

They are beasts they have not over corals that were glued. I have had them kill and eat other inhabitants. Just not worth the hastle. Scarlet blue legged dwarves good enough in my opinion.

 

[sheepdog76]

I am currently working on my 13G reef and love a good size clean up crew to keep my work simple
4 Dusters
1 Maxima
2-4 Clams (basic)
2 emerald Crabs
1 horse shoe crab
5-10 blue leg
3-5 red leg
4+ bumble bee
8+ nassarius snails
6+ cerith snails
Other various small crabs and snails.
Serpent star

 

[tdileo]

I am currently working on my 13G reef and love a good size clean up crew to keep my work simple
4 Dusters
1 Maxima
2-4 Clams (basic)
2 emerald Crabs
1 horse shoe crab
5-10 blue leg
3-5 red leg
4+ bumble bee
8+ nassarius snails
6+ cerith snails
Other various small crabs and snails.
Serpent star

Jesus man haha. That's a huge list, hope you're supplementing them with lots of extra food! Do you know the species of basic clams? I'd love to get one for now but don't want to buy a pricey maxima. Too worried I would kill it since my tank is only like 5 months old