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

[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.

 

[steveb]

My favorites - Caribbean short spine urchins and fighting conch.

Also like astrea/trochus/nerite/margarita and of course the turbo snails.

 

[Therinx]

My mithrax eradicated all trace of bubble algae, so he’s my visual MVP. I bought a dozen Nassarius a year ago, and every single one of them is still there. I cant see what theyre doing but they get team MVP, because their survival means they are obviously doing something!

 

[stephen wyard]

just a cobo of snails

 

[Linkfalcon]

Mollies are my mvps right now

 

[GTAReefTank]

Copperband butterfly. Got him at Christmas, my tank was full of aiptasia. February 1st and it’s virtually aiptasia free. Can’t believe my luck as some don’t wanna have anything to do with aiptasia.
The plus is he pigs on mysis shrimps so he won’t starve when the aiptasia is gone.

 

[Strangewaterchange]

Spiny star astraea, banded trochus, cerith, nassarius, mated pair of fire shrimp, serpent star, tiger sand conch, and the asterinas and amphipods do their part as well.

Serpent star has to be the mvp. Its like he came standard with an onboard mysis sonar system. Tiger sand conch is also very active cleaning my sandbed.

Also recently got a halichoeres leucoxanthus wrasse that should come in handy with certain bad hitchikers should they ever be introduced. I'm sure he would be the MVP if that ever happened.

 

[SteveG_inDC]

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.

You name your snails! We need to know more.

 

[Reefvision]

I have to say no as I still can't get gha eradicated even with yellow, sailfin, purple, tommini( although the best so far) Naso, urchins at 5 left now all types of hermits,snails , conches, whatever else . Next is sea lettuce nudi or sea hare I guess . No MVP !

 

[Treecop]

So far and based on early observations, turbo snails seem to be doing the best work.

 

[MohrReefs]

Im the MVP.

I remove more algae by hand than my clean up crew, theyre free loaders.

5 hermits 2 turbos in a 44gal.

FREE LOADERS LOL

 

[MohrReefs]

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. . .

I do the same with my back glass for my Starry. They MOW.

 

[Rockit]

an escargatoire of snails
mix of turbos, trochus, nassarius, astrea and cerith.
In our smaller tank I also have a few peppermint shrimp. Those things are beasts when it comes to excess food on the sand bed... unfortunately the humu humu in our larger tank finds them tasty.

 

[Kscope]

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

Nassarius snails
Halloween hermit crabs
Blue and red legged hermit crabs
Watchman gobie
Long spine urchin
Fire shrimp

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

My MVP is the long spine urchin which is quick to destroy all kinds of algae on the glass and rocks. Although all the others do a good job of cleaning the gravel from over feeding and/or detritus. .

 

[ImaFlippinDolphin]

Hands down no question undisputed mvp-sea hare

I got one to handle algae and it mowed through it like a champ, made the snails, crabs, tangs and assorted other cuc look like amateur hour. I passed the sea hare on to fellow club member and hope he'll do the same after it knocks his tank out

 

[LeahAnn]

I have astreas, cerinth and turbos, blue leg hermits, mini hermits, red legged little crabs, clown fish, angel fish,lavender dottyback, 5 cardinals. They all keep busy. Had a lwan mower blennie did fine for a month, then just died, had plenty of algae, he was always eating , supplemented kelp for him too inthe big tank, my starry blennie, asst snails and crabs keep my 20 tall clean. No particular stars they all do there parts.

 

[RoweReef]

Without a doubt, my 3 tuxedo urchins. They mow down hair algae like no body's business.

 

[itsken37]

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

That's mine too. Doing a wonderful job with my GHA!

 

[Koddie Doo]

I have some pincushions that do an amazing job.

 

[BaysEndReef]

My tuxedo urchin is the MVP of my tank. That dude cleans like crazy!