so what is the perfect clean up crew?

IMO Bristle worms are the best thing in a tank, sure they are ugly buggers but they usually only come out at night and they do a SUPERB job of keeping your sand bed aerated so for a deep sand bed they are almost a must. BUT Fireworms.....SUCK! I literally have been going to war with those (Expletive) for a week or so and pulled out about 40 so far.
As far as the best CUC most people have already mentioned all of my favorites but I would (Shameless plug) HIGHLY recommend ReefCleaners.org. They know their stuff, can help you customize a crew to your exact tank and are well priced. Just got an order from them last week, they sent me a ton of extra freebees just because, and one bag of snails was missing and he immediately got another in the mail for me free of charge, and I'm sure there will be a dozen more in that bag too. :-P. Great customer service, cheap prices, and best off they helped me get exactly what I will need for my new 46 Bow.
 
Not to change up here but what about astrea stars?? The same deal I see here over bristles Ive seen with these lil stars are they bad are they good?? I just picked up a harlequin shrimp to try and get rid of em because Ive read they are bad in one spot but then hear they're good from another??
 
Personally,I like to have substrate in my tank and based what I think helps in areas where my gravel vac wont fit or get under.I think pistol shrimp are good for stirring stuff up under rocks helping to keep detritus/phosphates from becoming a problem.Stomatella,conch ,and brown snails are some of the ones I like to use for sediment,especially finer stuff.I'm with Gary all the way in that a bristle worm population is a good thing,the're great for the surface of sand,under rocks and even inside rocks.In gravel they tend to go deeper,ime.

Hey Gary, do you remember reading in aquarium magazines (lol) yeah,pre-internet ? How the're dangerous,predatory opportunists -clam eating ,ect..ect.. and should be irradicated at all costs.If memory serves me right the bristleworm trap was born.People would go to extremes to get them out,ruining good fresh liverock by curing it for excessive times in dark containers and rinsing it repeadly, it was preached pretty heavily from what I can remember.
There seems to be some advocates still agreeing with this thought.I've come across posts in the main forum a few times now,but I tend to stay away from being drawn into debates.Just thinking that may have caused the thread to skew a little here.
 
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I don't think a Pistol shrimp will do much good. IME, once a pistol has dug his cave, that's where he's going to stay.
 
Not to change up here but what about astrea stars?? The same deal I see here over bristles Ive seen with these lil stars are they bad are they good?? I just picked up a harlequin shrimp to try and get rid of em because Ive read they are bad in one spot but then hear they're good from another??

I'm not sure either,and thats a good question.Though I do have some asterina stars in my tank I cant say Ive ever seen them munching on anything.Nor can I say I have disappearing zoa's.
My gut feeling is that there are types that are coral consumers and/or fluncuating food inputs might be causing some of these to turn to corals for food for survival.
It may also be that some of these are just feeding on stuff thats dying in someones tank given the illusion the're poylp consumers.

I dont know makes you wonder though.
 
There are a lot of different kinds of the asterina stars. There are reports of some darker patterned ones eating zoas. I think that the majority of the ones that we see in our tanks are harmless scavengers.

The colony of zoas that I often find the white ones in has been thriving for years. I think that they maneuver through to graze on detritus.
 
I don't think a Pistol shrimp will do much good. IME, once a pistol has dug his cave, that's where he's going to stay.

That very well could be.I have a yashi and pistol shrimp paired up and for whatever reason they have moved/constructed new burrows a few times over the course of a year now.

I will add that is the only shrimp goby pair I have ever owned though.So my experience is pretty limited otherwise.
 
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