Clean up crews?

[DBPReefer]

I pondering the idea of setting up an aggressive, predatory, or "non-reef safe" fish tank. My only experience is with reef tanks where we use crabs and snails along with other species to help clean the tank. In FO, FOWLR systems what animals do you use as clean up crews. Are clean up crews necessary for these type of set ups, if not, how do you control excessive algae and diterius build up?

 

[jda]

Mexican turbos.

 

[snommisbor]

BIG MEXICAN TURBOS, thats all I have left.

 

[DBPReefer]

So basically there is no "clean up Crew" but only big a** snails get the job done?!!

 

[mrwilson]

Hopefully this isn't a threadjack, but how big do Mexican turbos get? I have a few of them, and they are all certainly bigger than my other snails, but they don't seem big enough (yet?) to keep from being eaten by a decent sized predator fish. Mine are maybe 1 3/4 to 2 1/4 inches in width at their widest part - are these still babies at that size?

 

[Absint Reefer]

depends on what fish you want to do. You are alot more limited with triggers and puffers and inverts then angel and butterflies that you can still put many different kinds of crabs, starfish, snails or even shrimp.

 

[DBPReefer]

Thanks for the feedback. It has pointed my in the right direction for more thinking and research!

 

[Gwynhidwy]

Also, depending on the fish, a lot of people have had success with adding all of their cleanup critters first. Some aggressive and generally not reef safe fish won't bother inhabitants that arrived before them. Not a sure method, but it works for some.

I think a lot of FO tanks its just a matter of more care. More frequent water changes, gravel vac, etc.