??? Dream Clean Up Crew ???

[Salty Lemon]

I agree on urchins. I'm personally partial to tuxedo urchins - I think they have a lot of "personality.'

I have a tuxedo urchin that is fabulous and likes to decorate himself up with shells and things he finds as if he is getting ready to go to prom. He cleans up the rock well too. However...He also has decimated my zoa garden and knocks over smaller frags/corals that he finds. I'm thinking about rehoming him. I could be unlucky with the one I have. Many people have them without problems.

Just about everybody in my tank has a job in one way or another. I have cleaner shrimp, tangs, starfish, gobies, blennies, various snails, red and blue hermits (they will jump a snail for a shell btw). I just add things as I need them. I started with a couple shrimp, some hermits, and some turbo snails. If I think I need more, I research if I'm buying something new, and then add more. Due to the size of your tank, your cuc will eventually need to be quite large. But you don't need to go out and buy everything at once.

 

[eschaton]

But you don't need to go out and buy everything at once.

Yeah, this is an important note for the OP. I mean the CUC basically handles two things.

1. Mows down algae
2. Handles detritus (uneaten food, dissolved organics in the water, further processes fish poo, etc)

When it comes to tank detritus, it's really only generated via feeding and the metabolizing of the display organisms (fish, coral, etc). If you put too many detrivores in a "clean" tank without fish and coral, they will slowly starve.

The same is largely true for algae. Algae need light, but it also needs dissolved organics in the water column which are largely generated by detritus and fish metabolism. If you do not introduce a high fish load - or feed much - you won't get much algae, and the algae eaters won't have enough to eat.

This is why a self-sustaining CUC which can breed in the tank is the best. It will expand over the months/years as you expand your stocking.

 

[H3rm1tCr@b]

I have actually been contemplating this exact thing for a while now. I may be broke, but that doesn't mean a girl can't dream! I would love to have:
- pitho decorator crab
- yellow sea cucumber
- stomatella snails (5)
- dwarf ceriths (5)
- red bell's sea urchin
- pederson's cleaner shrimp
- venus shrimp
- a pair of bongo shrimp

If only my wallet and tank were large enough!

 

[Salty Lemon]

I have actually been contemplating this exact thing for a while now. I may be broke, but that doesn't mean a girl can't dream! I would love to have:
- pitho decorator crab
- yellow sea cucumber
- stomatella snails (5)
- dwarf ceriths (5)
- red bell's sea urchin
- pederson's cleaner shrimp
- venus shrimp
- a pair of bongo shrimp

If only my wallet and tank were large enough!

Just get a few animals for your cuc at a time, make sure they are from a reputable location, and look for sales. Your dream team will be up and running in no time.