Cleaning Crew

August 2016

Cleaning Crew for Reef Aquarium

Along with choosing your colourful fish and interesting corals you will also need to select a cleaning crew for your reef aquarium.

The cleaning crew not only add diversity to your aquarium but also play an important part in maintaining a healthy tank. The crew is made up of invertebrate’s such as snails, crabs, shrimps and starfish that offer a natural solution to some of the most common reef problems such as algae growth, anaerobic sand bed compaction and excess detritus.

They occupy different areas of the tank and therefor multiple species need to be selected to help restore the balance to the aquarium.

• Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab

Scarlet Reef Legged Hermit Crab is a popular member for a clean-up crew, helping keep algae under control. They particularly like nuisance algae of the filamentous, hair, and slime varieties, as well as cyanobacteria. The Red Legged hermit crabs are very bright, look incredibly bizarre and have a fascinating personality, making them an interesting addition to the aquarium. The Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab are very popular reef inhabitants as they very hardy and require minimal care in a well-established aquarium.

Like other hermit crabs, an ample supply of empty shells should be available for the Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab to move into as they grow. The shells should be larger than the crab’s current shell.

• Blue-legged hermit

Another popular crab option is the Blue-legged hermit. Their small size helps them get into areas of the tank that are usually difficult to reach.  Keep empty shells in the tank for them to choose from when they urge to change their shell without being aggressive towards snails. Several shells should be provided at all times, for the crabs to choose from.

It should never be kept with The Red-legged hermit crab as they will fight.

• Nassarius Snail

A great snail for a saltwater aquarium is Nassarius Snail. This small snail has a rather big appetite and is an efficient scavenger and detritus eater. It is a perfect member of your reef aquarium cleanup crew. It is best to keep Nassarius Snail in an established aquarium with live rock and a deep sand bed.

• Astraea Turbo Snails

The Astraea Turbo Snail is very adept at keeping your aquarium clean and it’s also very fascinating to observe in you reef aquarium.

The Astraea Turbo Snail prefers well-established fish tanks with plenty of hiding places and sufficient room to roam. Highly recommended in a reef aquarium!

• Peppermint Shrimps

Peppermint Shrimps are a beautiful and practical addition to your home aquarium. The Peppermint Shrimps have a creamy white body striped with several longitudinal red bands, making them stand out in the aquarium. They eat detritus, uneaten food, and decomposing organic material. Peppermint Shrimp are very social and peaceful towards most reef inhabitants. They must be kept in aquariums with live rock, ample places to hide, as well as open areas to scavenge.

• Fire shrimp

It’s regarded by many as the most beautiful shrimp, the Fire shrimp has a scarlet body with only a few white freckles on the anterior end.

Antenna and legs are brilliant white. It must be kept in an aquarium that has caves and holes in the rockwork in which to take shelter.

• The Cleaner Shrimp

The Cleaner Shrimp is one of the most interesting and useful invertebrate for your aquarium.

The Cleaner Shrimp will act like the doctor of any reef tank. It will actually set up a “shop” on live rock or coral outcroppings and wait for fish to come and be cleaned of parasites or debris. Many fish value its services so highly that they even allow the Cleaner Shrimp to clean inside of their mouths without harming the shrimp.

This surely makes for an interesting display of reef behaviour.

• Marble Starfish

While starfish are generally considered difficult to maintain in a reef aquarium, the Marble Starfish, also known as Indian Sea Star, has high rate of survival if properly taken care of. Their patterns and colours make them one of the most striking of all the sea stars.

It is found over sandy substrates, on rocks, and sometimes climbing among corals and other invertebrates. It is constantly scavenging for micro-organisms and detritus to eat, so the aquarium should have sufficient amounts of live rock. We would recommend keeping only one of its kind but if the aquarium is large enough for more than one, it will accept others of its own species.

• Sand Sifting Sea Star

The Sand Shifting Sea Star, is very efficient at keeping detritus at minimum, some saying that kt is too good at eat. These starfish consume large amounts of food, and can die of starvation if not enough food can be found.

The Sand Sifting Sea Star should not be housed with natural predators, including Triggers, Puffers, and larger hermits. The Sand Sifting Sea Star does best in a large, well-established aquarium.

While no single species is capable of resolving all negative aquarium conditions, a combination of the invertebrates above can do a good job at keeping your aquarium clean. However, you will still need regular professional maintenance to ensure all your tank inhabitants are happy and healthy.

If you need more information on choosing a clean-up crew or advice on reef maintenance packages contact our team here