Detritus defenders: What critters make up your clean up crew?

[Charles Zinn]

Snails emerald crabs sand sifting s t arfish. Red starfish cleaner shrimp peppermint

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

there are no animals that eat detritus without expressing basically the same amount as particulate waste (detritus)

there aren't detritus removers unless they're busy animals like fish that physically kick up waste for the currents to carry off into filters (or settle elsewhere in the tank the majority of the time)

CUC's produce detritus, they don't remove it.

I will give you a brand new dollar for 4 quarters.
Waste in waste out.

 

[Fritz05]

One additional aspect is that members of the CUC are interesting in their own right. I see my inverts as part of my livestock, not as a “cleaning tool”. If they help with fighting algae it’s a bonus!

 

[kazeespada]

I will give you a brand new dollar for 4 quarters.
Waste in waste out.

I never understood this mentality because a hermit crab turns algae into poop+hermit crab. So unless you are letting your CUC die and rot, they are performing a form of nutrient export.

Also, they convert forms of undesired nutrient export(hair algae) into kinds that other filtration can export more efficiently(refugium and skimmers).

 

[encrustingacro]

The Astraea snails in our hobby are actually from the genus Lithopoma, not Astraea. What the hobby calls these snails is "Astraea tecta," but the actual species are Lithopoma tectum and L. americanum.

 

[Crotalus]

I've never been impressed with snails. The whole idea of having to replace on a frequent basis seems counter productive. As detritus has a role in the carbon and nitrogen cycles I don't see it as having to be dealt with on a regular basis either. Urchins and brittle stars seem much better options, they ar emuch longer lived (decades), urchins are more effective than snails as they scrape algae down to the bare rock and brittle stars will reach into crevases snails can't go. Large algae eating hermits like thin stripe and Calcinus genus hermits are more effective because of their size as well as Sally Lightfoot crabs and in my experience much longer lived than most of the samller hermits sold for CUC.

The problem with Urchins is they pick up your frags and carry them all over the tank.

 

[blecki]

The problem with Urchins is they pick up your frags and carry them all over the tank.

That and eating all the coraline. But I still wouldn't part with mine.

 

[klp]

I've never been impressed with snails. The whole idea of having to replace on a frequent basis seems counter productive. As detritus has a role in the carbon and nitrogen cycles I don't see it as having to be dealt with on a regular basis either. Urchins and brittle stars seem much better options, they ar emuch longer lived (decades), urchins are more effective than snails as they scrape algae down to the bare rock and brittle stars will reach into crevases snails can't go. Large algae eating hermits like thin stripe and Calcinus genus hermits are more effective because of their size as well as Sally Lightfoot crabs and in my experience much longer lived than most of the samller hermits sold for CUC.

You gave very practical advice in a short paragraph. Excellent.

 

[Sharkbait19]

I have a bunch of great sand sifters, but none does a better job than my pistol shrimp! That thing is always working and is constantly turning the sandbed over.

 

[vlangel]

I have nassarius snails, 1 hermit crab and an Atlantic cucumber.

 

[JoJosReef]

Everything except for hermits. "Other" include money cowries, conches, limpets, microbrittle stars, couple of brittle stars, variety of worms, pods, pitho crab...

I don't agree with the comment stating that CUC just convert detritus into more detritus. CUC require energy to live and basic building blocks to grow, so part of what goes in stays in or gets burnt up. You don't poop 100% of what you eat. Neither do they.

 

[Homey D. Clownfish]

I have a CUC crew, but I have found that a piece of filter floss, a fine mesh net, and your own two hands work best.

 

[Timfish]

The problem with Urchins is they pick up your frags and carry them all over the tank.

Well, for starters, it's arguable the frags many of us are being sold are too small to have a good survival rate. I don't see an inappropriate frag size as the urchins fault. I've also seen enough over the decades to know urchins also have individual prefferences so two specimens of the same species won't behave the same way as far as picking stuff up and arrying it off. I don't see the wisdom in condemning every urchin when there's individual prefferences.

A critical factor in the decline of reefs systems is the loss of herbivores that scrap macro and turf algae off rocks. The decline of reefs in the Caribbean can be directly linked to the loss of the Diadem Urchins in 1983. Other areas the loss of parrot fish can be linked to reef decline. Since few of us have reef systems large enough to utilize parrot fish to srap rock to a bare surface urchins that do the job are our only option. When viewing from the postion of what's best for a reef system long term corals are needed to promote beneficial microbiomes for other corals but I'll say the urchin is more important than any coral frag is.

 

[feresadas]

there are no animals that eat detritus without expressing basically the same amount as particulate waste (detritus)

there aren't detritus removers unless they're busy animals like fish that physically kick up waste for the currents to carry off into filters (or settle elsewhere in the tank the majority of the time)

CUC's produce detritus, they don't remove it.

That's not how eating food works? Animals eat food to upkeep physiological process required to live (respiration, cell replacement) as wee as growth, all of these use much of the mass in the food they eat.


When you eat a pound of food do you poop a pound of poop?!? Hopefully not, you should see a doctor if you do. The same is true for pretty much every animal across the taxonomic tree...

 

[brandon429]

Ok do an experiment for us then on video

siphon up tank waste, mud from a sand bed

put it on the bottom of a clean new bare bottom tank, with some live rock set inside as a skip cycle setup

input any non fish clean up crew you’re championing

no physical removal of any detritus at all, let them do it

do you honestly think the tank will be clean in 3, 6 or 12 mos, show it’s progress

Ive already done the experiment, hence what I wrote. I work in tanks that employ cuc’s for years, and we clean out the mess they create. Cuc’s do not remove detritus, they compound it, that’s the rule. You might get lucky and they eat algae but they simply build waste, they don’t reduce it. This goes for annelida copepoda echinodermata and all of groups we use as cuc

busy fish are the exception

even fish that filter through substrate add to waste, they don’t remove it, their benefit is kicking up the compounding into suspension along with the waste they’ve created along the way.

find an article and post it to show what % of intake humans incorporate into tissues vs excrete. It’s a shocking low % by mass weight

 

[design.maddie]

Whoa! Mithrax Crabs is all the way down there. I was postive that was going to be in the top 5.

I am not surprised by the placement of Nerite snails but I am curious why people don't enjoy them more. I find that they do amazing work on my glass. I didn't cast a vote for them though because I don't currently have one.

 

[corky1618]

Pithos crabs will eat anything (including lps) when they are hungry enough. I just wished they can climb the walls of the tank.

 

[Sharkbait19]

Ok do an experiment for us then on video

siphon up tank waste, mud from a sand bed

put it on the bottom of a clean new bare bottom tank, with some live rock set inside as a skip cycle setup

input any non fish clean up crew you’re championing

no physical removal of any detritus at all, let them do it

do you honestly think the tank will be clean in 3, 6 or 12 mos, show it’s progress

Ive already done the experiment, hence what I wrote. I work in tanks that employ cuc’s for years, and we clean out the mess they create. Cuc’s do not remove detritus, they compound it, that’s the rule. You might get lucky and they eat algae but they simply build waste, they don’t reduce it. This goes for annelida copepoda echinodermata and all of groups we use as cuc

busy fish are the exception

even fish that filter through substrate add to waste, they don’t remove it, their benefit is kicking up the compounding into suspension along with the waste they’ve created along the way.

find an article and post it to show what % of intake humans incorporate into tissues vs excrete. It’s a shocking low % by mass weight

Please do not spread misinformation. Detritovores are essential parts of reef ecosystems by allowing the energy in waste to be brought back into the food web. The entire point of detritovores and decomposers is to remove the waste that most organisms cannot. They would be very counterproductive if they produced as much as they consumed. Instead, the detritus they remove is converted into their own biomass (their bodies) that is then consumed by predators.

 

[Dude64]

Detritus defenders: What critters make up your clean up crew?

Using a clean-up crew (CUC) in your reef tank can be beneficial for reducing unwanted algae and dealing with waste and other detritus that settles in the tank. From snails to crabs and much more there are many options to choose from when selecting a CUC for your aquarium. Getting the right combination and replenishing at appropriate times can take some understanding and effort. There are several online sources that have recommendations for what to include in a CUC. Let’s talk about what critters that you have for a clean-up crew in your tank and any related tips or recommendations that you can share.

Pro Tip: It is helpful to understand the abilities and requirements for each species that are included in your clean-up crew. Additionally, please know that many CUC recommendations from online sellers are more than required.

Photo by @Dannyboy402


This QOTD is sponsored by: www.dinkinsaquaticgardens.com

"Our mission is to help save the reefs by providing the highest quality live reef foods for every aquarium - from small biocubes to mid-sized reef aquariums, to giant aquaculture facilities" -@Dinkins Aquatic Gardens

Don't forget the bristle-worms

 

[Dude64]

This poll should include bristle worms, brittle stars, sponges, pods, chitons, feather dusters, and all sorts of other micro-fauna.

agreed (bottom front of the tank)