MVP: Tell us about your cleanup crew! Who's on the team and who's the MVP?

[revhtree]

A cleanup crew (CUC TEAM) is one of the most important parts of our reef tank ecosystem! They consist of many different types of inverts and even fish and they take care of unwanted algae, uneaten foods and other dead critters. We house many of the same members of the CUC Team but I would still like to know what critters are on your starting team!

1. List all the members of your clean up crew team including inverts and fish!

2. Who's your MVP cleanup crew team member?

image via @Pacific Island Aquatics

 

[EvanDeVita]

The king of my CUC is my Sea Hare. Only a temporary inhabitant, but it has taken care of business

 

[Mike from TN]

13.5 gal Nano
Ive got
12 (@last count) Astrea snails
6 (@ last count) Margarita snails
2 Nassarius snails
6 (@ last count) Blue legged hermits
1 Fire shrimp
1 Skunk cleaner shrimp
&
I seed with Tisbe Pods every couple of weeks to keep the sand bed clean

I hate to give credit to any one “employee” so I would say they are all “super stars”!

 

[Treefer32]

I have purchased virtually no clean up crew. I used to have a few mexican turbo snails that came in on some rocks. My dragon wrasse kept flipping them over. He didn't eat them, he just didn't like them moving. This eventually killed the snails. So, they're out. . . Next, I found some asterinas on my rocks. They've been multiplying into the thousands. They're on my rocks, my glass, everywhere. They are anywhere there's patches of slime algae. . . MVP for me!

Lastly, my lawn mower blenny and starry blenny are rock stars! I purposely let the ends of my tank grow thick green film algae (one to help reduce phosphates in the display and two it's a food source). My two blenny's each take an end of the tank and go at it. I don't need to scrape the glass given 2-3 days to eat the film algae they consume it all almost to the point of it looks like I scraped the glass.

Both blennies are extremely fat. They eat a lot of algae! My chocolate tang is the final part of my cuc that likes nipping at rocks for fuzzy algae that grows short. If anything starts to grow he finds it and devours it. My Caribbean Blue tang and black tang would prefer nori over anything that grows on the rocks.

There you have it! I have some Nessarus snails that come out once in a while or when I rake the sand I find one. I purchased those 2.5 years ago, and am surprised I still have them. I only bought five or so for my 340 gallon display, and suspect there's more than five now. . .

 

[Andreas' Reef]

13.5 gal Nano
Ive got
12 (@last count) Astrea snails
6 (@ last count) Margarita snails
2 Nassarius snails
6 (@ last count) Blue legged hermits
1 Fire shrimp
1 Skunk cleaner shrimp
&
I seed with Tisbe Pods every couple of weeks to keep the sand bed clean

I hate to give credit to any one “employee” so I would say they are all “super stars”!

12 astrea's? Bruh I only have 3 and I'm sure one of them is dead.

 

[Arabyps]

I have an assortment of snails but the stars of the cleanup crew are:

Fighting conch (x3)
Bella Goby (x1)
Hawaiian hermits (x2)

with honorable mention to the Algae Blenny

 

[maugustine]

Conch mvp
Turbo snail 2 monsters
3 smaller snails actually raised one baby
Cleaner shrimp
Had to remove my dragon goby he was bad boy

 

[dbowman5]

if it is a team sport i try not to single out one player who contributes more than the rest. lol
player of the week, maybe, but they don't crew for glory. they benefit from their own efforts and as the Necromongers say They Keep what they kill.

Hermits, scarlet and blue leg
snails astra turbo trochus, nassarius nerite
banded serpent star
red brittle stars
white brittle stars
bristle worms
amphipods
copepods
spirobids
spaghetti worms
medusa
sponges

 

[UkiahTheTurtle]

1. List all the members of your clean up crew team including inverts and fish!
Turbo snail, Scarlet hermit crab, 5 blue legged hermit crab, 1 nassarius snail, 5 trochus snails, 2 star snails, 2 cerith snails, 1 cleaner shrimp, and 1 rainfords goby
2. Who's your MVP cleanup crew team member?
My turbo snail is the MVP

 

[Beau_B]

Tuxedo urchin MVP

Most snails seem to die, have a few nassarius and a conch left but all trochus and nerites die.

Scarlet hermits are a favorite for they're activity and clean up efforts but they don't scrub.

 

[Specific Ocean]

He’s not an invert but it has to go to my Sleeper Gold Head Goby. Keeps the sand bed clean but there’s always a different landscape everyday

 

[ScottB]

I keep the usual variety of snails, emeralds, fighting conchs, etc.

MVP: Orange Shoulder tang who grazes 12 hours a day
Runner Up: Foxface rabbitfish a very close second.

 

[kartrsu]

Got a variety of clean up crew including turbo, scarlet, astraea, cerith, and trochus snails; blue legged, Mexican red leg, and scarlet hermit crabs; cleaner, fire shrimp; and diamond goby.

MVP hands down is diamond goby. I don’t turn off my power heads while feeding anymore. I know this guy will get all those scraps!

 

[Quietman]

I have the standard snails, hermits, even a conch - but my biggest impact to appearance (although not necessarily health as those snails and hermits really keep rock clean) is my pistol shrimp (with goby). It's constantly moving sand and the half tank it lives on has an immaculate sand bed.

Not traditionally considered CUC, but big impact. Wish I'd gone with a sand sifting goby now - be nice to have that all over the tank.

 

[Hydrored]

MVP- Kole Tang for sure, always picking at something

 

[piranhaman00]

I am the MVP, at least thats what my mother always said.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

I have the usual snails, emerald crabs, hermit crabs, astaria starfish, spaghetti worms, bergula nudibranchs, copepods, but my favorite MVP is my tuxedo urchin

 

[KevPool]

My Lawnmower Blenny is an absolute Champ in my tank

 

[Austin Rosado]

The real MVP in my tank would have to be Garry my 4 year old Mexican Turbo Snail thats the close to the size of a baseball.

 

[homer1475]

While its a toss up between the starry blenny, and tuxedo urchin. I think the urchin wins hands down.