Natural Clean-up Crew

[FarmerTy]

Hello Austin Reefers,

Just throwing it out there as a conversation piece but with my 125-gallon I started about a year ago, I decided I was going to do a different approach on my CUC selection. Out with the hermit crabs, emerald crabs, astrea snails, turbo snails, and whatever typically constitutes a typically CUC that I had in both my tanks before.

I decided on a getting a more unique clean-up crew that was also very effective and keeping it as natural as I can. Here's what I ended up with and I am very happy with the results. Mainly because most of the work is being done by a CUC that naturally reproduces in the tank.

CUC I bought:

-2 fighting conchs (sand stirrer, eats algae film)

-2 tiger tail sea cucumbers (sand stirrer, cleans sand)

-4 nasarrius snails (sand stirrer, eats excess food or dead/rotting items in tank)

-coco worm (filters water)

Naturally reproducing CUC:

-asterina stars (eats algae film, coraline algae)

-amphipods (eats excess food, detritus, dead/rotting items)

-copepods (eats plankton)

-mini brittle stars ( eats detritus, particulates in water)

-bristleworms (eats excess food, detritus, dead/rotting items)

-mini feather dusters (filters water)

-stomatella snails (eats algae film)

-small limpets (eats algae film)

-miniature limpets (my best guess, almost look like small fish flakes that are always on the bottom of my frag plugs; eats algae film)

-various small snails (eats algae film)

-peanut worms (eats detritus)

-vermatiid snails (eats particulates in the water)

-spaghetti worms (eats detritus that settles on the sandbed)

-sponges (filters the water)

Aside from the fighting conchs, nasarrius snails, and coco worm, everything else naturally reproduces in my tank so there is always a balance to my CUC. If there isn't enough algae, some of the natural populations of stomatella snails and limpets decline. Not enough particulates in the water and the mini feather dusters and vermatiid snail population declines. If there's an overabundance of algae or particulates, the populations will increase with the supply. You get the point, self-regulating population of CUC that never has to be replenished and adjusts to the specific needs of the tank (minus the removal of cyano I have from the biopellets I've been running... too bad mother nature hasn't made a reef safe muncher of cyano yet... I know some may eat it but not enough consistency for me to try these other possibilities as its hit or miss).

Just wanted to share my experience with others and the benefits I see with it. It won't work with every system. Having a large volume of water helps and also diversity of natural critters from live rock helps too. As always, there is more than one way to skin a cat and everyone has mostly found a way that works for them. Just wanted to share my experience.

-Ty

[Bannerfish]

sounds like a nice cuc. i LOVE the conchs and have some myself. not only are they cute and really interesting but the smaller ones climb the rocks and eat the junk that settles on them, the little dwarfs will climb the glass too. i want some more where did you find the other little cuc?

[dshel1217]

I like the set up and im starting to move to something toward that myself. The only issue Im having, and you might have in the future, is bubble algea. Im not a big fan of emerald crabs but they are the only thing, I know of, that eats the stuff.

[JamesL]

Most fighting conchs also like cyno ... another benefit.

[FarmerTy]

James - Well maybe that's why my sand is free of cyano but the rocks and backwall get a light coating every couple of days.

Dshel - My brother had bubble algae on his corals that I was coral sitting for him. 1 month in my tank and all of his bubble coral disappeared. Didn't actually see anybody eat it directly but I suspect my posse of tangs (hippo, sailfin, and yellow) may have done some damage as well as my water parameters.

Bannerfish - The conchs are definitely fun to watch. Which other CUC are you talking about?

[dshel1217]

James - Well maybe that's why my sand is free of cyano but the rocks and backwall get a light coating every couple of days.

Dshel - My brother had bubble algae on his corals that I was coral sitting for him. 1 month in my tank and all of his bubble coral disappeared. Didn't actually see anybody eat it directly but I suspect my posse of tangs (hippo, sailfin, and yellow) may have done some damage as well as my water parameters.

Bannerfish - The conchs are definitely fun to watch. Which other CUC are you talking about?

Interesting, hope the same thing happens in my tank. Also I have some unknown snails that are breeding like crazy in my tank. You are welcome to have some if you want. I know they eat film algea. lmk

[Bannerfish]

i was wondering where you got the naturally reproducing ones. I'm pretty sure were have stomatellas but they came in on live rock.

[FarmerTy]

Bannerfish - same with all of my natural CUC. They have just come on live rock I've collected over the 9 years of reefing and 3 different tanks I've had. I just realized on my 2nd tank that as my CUC died over the years, that if I left it alone, something came in to replace them. So, I just let it naturally balance itself out and didn't add any more of the "traditional" clean up crew when their populations declined (hermit crabs, astrea snails, emerald crabs) and then the populations of "natural" CUC starting to increase with the void.

[+o0zarkawater]

Something I love that I see lacking from your list are collonista snails.

I have a large population of them and love them. They hide during the day but as soon as lights out they are all over the rock and glass cleaning up. They are nicknamed 'mini turbo snails' because they love algae. I personally don't see any algae on my rocks or much on the glass, but it has to be enough to sustain their population.