If you don't want a clean up crew (snails and crabs, etc.) what fish do you get?
- Thread starter Salty150
- Start date
moatdaddy
New member
yellow tang... i am a proponent of the no clean up crew. I like to have a wrasse for pests, generally a coris type. The ones with the small mouths, then i go with a tang or two. Problem with the wrasse is they need sand from my experience. So i have a small tuperware container on the bottom with sand in it so he/she can bury.
The main thing is that i maintain nutrient levels low and i dont have to worry about algae with a proper tang.
The main thing is that i maintain nutrient levels low and i dont have to worry about algae with a proper tang.
Dmorty217
Saltwater Addict
A might magnet... I have 0 clean up crew only because I don't want to have to put them in a tank for 72 days.
Salty150
New member
OK, tangs for algae...
I would love to have a Red Coris Wrasse - but they eat shrimp - and I like having my two blood red fire shrimp.
I also belive they eat clams? And I would like to have a clam.
I would also like to get a sand siting starfish for the substrate - but they eat shrimp also...
What about cleaning the substrate?
I would love to have a Red Coris Wrasse - but they eat shrimp - and I like having my two blood red fire shrimp.
I also belive they eat clams? And I would like to have a clam.
I would also like to get a sand siting starfish for the substrate - but they eat shrimp also...
What about cleaning the substrate?
MeghanisradxD
New member
I don't have sand anymore, but I had a serpent star in my old tank, that did a pretty good job of getting stuff out of the sand. I don't know if that's normal behavior or I just got lucky. But, I have read that you can get a bad apple and have them go after fish.
Also, gobies are fantastic sand sifters. Constantly cleaning it out.
Also, gobies are fantastic sand sifters. Constantly cleaning it out.
Reefstarter2
New member
I have a melenarus and soon no clean up crew lol . yes they eat shrimp too . sucker ate 2 skunk cleaners
dbigfoot111
New member
get a tang or lawn mower blenny
jgraz
New member
Tank size will dictate everything here, but if you want to stay away from the typical CUC of snails and hermits then consider an Urchin for algae duty. IMO you will find no other equal in terms of algae duty. A tuxedo will take care of most algae and a longspine will take care of all of it, including the problematic ones. Stay away from the sand sifting stars, they will just die. Serpents and brittle stars are both good and will grab and missed food and such but will do very little to sift the sand. better bet is a goby for that duty, or a conch will be just as good. As far as pest duty not all wrasses are created equal. As they get bigger they will perform less coral pest cleaning duty as they just cant get to them. My favorites are in the Pseudocheilinus family. these include the sixline and mystery but they may get aggressive as they get older, but don't require sand. Also the Halichoeres family like the melunarus. but when bigger they seem to stop cleaning. They seem more on the mild side, but do require sand. I've found all other wrasses to be useless as far as pests go.
jd371
New member
I just added a Lawnmower Blenny and so far it's doing a good job of picking algae off the rocks and glass, won't touch the algae on the sand though.
Yeah, mine wouldn't show any interest towards the Fire and Cleaner that were in the tank already, so I bought 2 Jumbo Peppermint shrimp to control a small Aptasia outbreak. As soon as I put them in the tank he went after one and ate it, I was able to get the other one out and is now in the sump. Doesn't touch the snails or shrimp that were in there, but I guess anything I add now it see's as food.
JohnnyHildo
Member
i thought the same when i picked up my wrasse but read that my medium sized aragonite substrate would be fine so i tried it. as it turns out my wrasse has no problem bedding down and no ill effect to its scales or anything like that.
i also have a small sand sifting goby that is also unaffected by the larger than sugar sand material.
