If you don't want a clean up crew (snails and crabs, etc.) what fish do you get?

Salty150 · 04/17/2016, 04:33 PM

If you don't want the typical clean up crew (snails and crabs, etc.) what fish (etc.) do you get to take their place?

moatdaddy · 04/17/2016, 05:02 PM

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.

Dmorty217 · 04/17/2016, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Salty150

If you don't want the typical clean up crew (snails and crabs, etc.) what fish (etc.) do you get to take their place?

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 · 04/17/2016, 05:20 PM

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?

MeghanisradxD · 04/17/2016, 07:44 PM

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.

Reefstarter2 · 04/17/2016, 07:47 PM

I have a melenarus and soon no clean up crew lol . yes they eat shrimp too . sucker ate 2 skunk cleaners

moatdaddy · 04/17/2016, 08:09 PM

I don't do shrimp even though I like them. Wrasse vs shrimp and shrimp loses.

dbigfoot111 · 04/17/2016, 11:21 PM

get a tang or lawn mower blenny

Jeff4777 · 04/17/2016, 11:33 PM

I'm slowly phasing my main tank to only have sea stars and anemones as inverts. bristle tooth tangs or any tang really are good. Given the proper tank conditions for them.

jgraz · 04/18/2016, 06:57 AM

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 · 04/18/2016, 07:47 AM

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.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reefstarter2

I have a melenarus and soon no clean up crew lol . yes they eat shrimp too . sucker ate 2 skunk cleaners

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 · 04/18/2016, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moatdaddy

Problem with the wrasse is they need sand from my experience.

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.

04/17/2016, 04:33 PM	#1
Salty150 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 1,345	If you don't want a clean up crew (snails and crabs, etc.) what fish do you get? If you don't want the typical clean up crew (snails and crabs, etc.) what fish (etc.) do you get to take their place?

04/17/2016, 05:02 PM	#2
moatdaddy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Panama City beach florida Posts: 848	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.

04/17/2016, 05:20 PM	#4
Salty150 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Posts: 1,345	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?

04/17/2016, 07:44 PM	#5
MeghanisradxD Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Manassas, VA Posts: 183	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.

04/17/2016, 07:47 PM	#6
Reefstarter2 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 295	I have a melenarus and soon no clean up crew lol . yes they eat shrimp too . sucker ate 2 skunk cleaners

04/17/2016, 08:09 PM	#7
moatdaddy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Panama City beach florida Posts: 848	I don't do shrimp even though I like them. Wrasse vs shrimp and shrimp loses.

04/17/2016, 11:21 PM	#8
dbigfoot111 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 52	get a tang or lawn mower blenny

04/17/2016, 11:33 PM	#9
Jeff4777 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 518	I'm slowly phasing my main tank to only have sea stars and anemones as inverts. bristle tooth tangs or any tang really are good. Given the proper tank conditions for them.

04/18/2016, 06:57 AM	#10
jgraz Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Bordentown, NJ Posts: 697	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.