best fish poo cleaner?
- Thread starter aerius007
- Start date
itZme
New member
I like cucumbers for cleaning the sand. I have one of them in each of my two 75s.
They leave a trail of clean sand "pellets" and they are neat to look at.
I would suggest a mix of all different styles of cleanup critters but some claim that the hermits will kill snails to move into their shells. I haven't had a problem with that myself but I could see the logic behind it.
I think diversity is the key. What one animal would miss or skip over would be a meal for another type of critter.
I will be buying a BUNCH of cleanup crew but I am going to wait a bit longer so I know how much I can spend before ordering.
-- Kevin
They leave a trail of clean sand "pellets" and they are neat to look at.
I would suggest a mix of all different styles of cleanup critters but some claim that the hermits will kill snails to move into their shells. I haven't had a problem with that myself but I could see the logic behind it.
I think diversity is the key. What one animal would miss or skip over would be a meal for another type of critter.
I will be buying a BUNCH of cleanup crew but I am going to wait a bit longer so I know how much I can spend before ordering.
-- Kevin
vietcu
New member
I heard brittle stars eat detritus. Going to get the bigger one to see if it does, but I did see a small one take in a piece of detritus once. I have nassasaurus, crabs, astrea, cerith in my tank, and none of them would go after any detritus. They only eat left over and algae from what I could see. I would like to get a cucumber, but I personally do not like the looks of those things 
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itZme
New member
I had a large brittle star in one tank and had fish that "mysteriously" disappeared. I fed it silversides about 2-3 times a week but maybe it needed more. The thing ended up being about 16" across. They are really cool creatures but I don't trust them anymore.
Just my personal experience.
Just my personal experience.
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BrunstuckyJoe
Active member
Any kind that have the fuzz on their legs are bad news....the can use their bodys to form a pseudo cave and have creatures crawl into it and then they kill it.....I donated one that came with my tank....i think maggie has it....though i never asked ron if he ended up with it....
BrunstuckyJoe
Active member
Their sense of smell is uncanny too....drop a garlic pellet anywhere in the tank and it will come out of nowhere to get it....they love shrimp, hermit craps.....and any type of cleanup crew too....
markviiisvt4
New member
I've gota serpent thats prolly close to that size, he never bothers any one.
I've also got 6 cucumbers and they do a great job of eating just about anything. My sand is always spotless.
I've also got 6 cucumbers and they do a great job of eating just about anything. My sand is always spotless.
the budman
New member
i have 2 fairly large brittle stars in my tank and they dont bother any thing. they are dark brown, maybe black with light tan maybe gray bands on them. easily 10 -12 inches across and i have had 1 of them for years and the other for a year. the do come right out when i put shrimp in the tank but they come out for fresh algae sheets too. i had a red serpent star that i got rid of when i watched it try to remove a hermit from its shell. saved the crab and sold the star.
imcosmokramer
New member
+1 on the cucumber.
I have a tigertail cucumber in my 75 (along with lots of snails) and it keeps sand very clean.
I have a tigertail cucumber in my 75 (along with lots of snails) and it keeps sand very clean.
Futurecanadian
New member
I had a pink/green cucumber, but he never left the corner of the glass that he was in. What type hsould I look for and do they knock around the live rock the way urchins do?
