Reef tank with no clean up crew

greg683x · 01/26/2016, 09:56 AM

Are clean up crews absolutely necessary in a fully stocked reef tank?? Only reason I ask is I'd like to have a beautiful mixed reef tank but there are also some fish I'd like to keep in this tank, such as a blue throat trigger and some types of wrasses that are considered reef safe or reef safe with caution but are a threat to inverts such as snails, hermits, and shrimp. What are some alternatives if the production from the clean up has to be replaced?

CStrickland · 01/26/2016, 10:22 AM

My wrasse hasn't be able to figure out how to kill my chitons, limpets, and urchins. They clean the rocks pretty well if your tanks nutrients are balanced to where there's not much algae to begin with. My fighting conch has also survived to stir the sand, and brittle stars can help with that. There are fish that eat algae too like tangs and some blennys. Also, a lot of people who keep CUC munchers just plan for replacing snails like twice a year as an ongoing cost.

Ejazzle · 01/26/2016, 11:46 AM

I have no cleanup crew and my tank is a heavily stocked 57. No algae problems or anything and I feed a lot. I don't like the snails and hermits crawling over everything and knocking stuff over.

Keoki18 · 01/26/2016, 11:52 AM

Most reefers that have mature/well filtered systems don't have many CUCs if any. They typically die off once starved of algae and excess nutrients. As long as you keep water quality to a high, and don't over feed, you should have no problem going without. You will also pick up hitchhikers that will replace the common store bought CUC animals like small brittle stars, various worms, and some small gastropods. you will barley know they exist in the tank, but they are cleaning all day and night in the darkness.

01/26/2016, 09:56 AM	#1
greg683x Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 188	Reef tank with no clean up crew Are clean up crews absolutely necessary in a fully stocked reef tank?? Only reason I ask is I'd like to have a beautiful mixed reef tank but there are also some fish I'd like to keep in this tank, such as a blue throat trigger and some types of wrasses that are considered reef safe or reef safe with caution but are a threat to inverts such as snails, hermits, and shrimp. What are some alternatives if the production from the clean up has to be replaced?

01/26/2016, 10:22 AM	#2
CStrickland Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: New England, U.S. Posts: 4,595	My wrasse hasn't be able to figure out how to kill my chitons, limpets, and urchins. They clean the rocks pretty well if your tanks nutrients are balanced to where there's not much algae to begin with. My fighting conch has also survived to stir the sand, and brittle stars can help with that. There are fish that eat algae too like tangs and some blennys. Also, a lot of people who keep CUC munchers just plan for replacing snails like twice a year as an ongoing cost. __________________ If you're havin tank problems I feel bad for you, son. I got 99 problems but a fish ain't one Current Tank Info: 3/2016 upgrade to 120g. Chalk bass, melanurus, firefish, starry blenny, canary blenny, lyretail anthias, engineer gobys, kole tang. Softies / LPS / NPS. <3 noob4life <3

01/26/2016, 11:46 AM	#3
Ejazzle Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 105	I have no cleanup crew and my tank is a heavily stocked 57. No algae problems or anything and I feed a lot. I don't like the snails and hermits crawling over everything and knocking stuff over.

01/26/2016, 11:52 AM	#4
Keoki18 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Plainfield IL Posts: 314	Most reefers that have mature/well filtered systems don't have many CUCs if any. They typically die off once starved of algae and excess nutrients. As long as you keep water quality to a high, and don't over feed, you should have no problem going without. You will also pick up hitchhikers that will replace the common store bought CUC animals like small brittle stars, various worms, and some small gastropods. you will barley know they exist in the tank, but they are cleaning all day and night in the darkness.