Poll: Are Clean Up Crews (CUC) Overrated and Unnecessary?

[Macbalacano]

I was recently adding some new additions to my tank and realized that I barely have any Clean Up Crew (CUC) except for a brittle star and conch. I feel the conch is the most useful CUC i've ever had as it actually keeps my sandbed clean.

It got me thinking, should I be investing more in CUC? What about in your tank? Curious what others' approach to CUC is!

 

[Reefer Matt]

It depends on the tank’s age, fish load, and nutrient removal system. But if a tank is constantly plagued with hair and turf algae, a cuc is usually required to keep a tank clean. Otherwise the Reefer is the cuc.

 

[Double monti 61]

I replied to I have some cuc and they are really important in keeping my tank clean and I believe they are critical but so far I have never had to replace them.

 

[ZzyzxRiver]

Beginner question I guess—I was not aware that there was an alternative to a clean up crew? How do you deal with stuff without one?

 

[Macbalacano]

Beginner question I guess—I was not aware that there was an alternative to a clean up crew? How do you deal with stuff without one?

I think it’s a combination of not having very much to deal with in the first place - meaning your nutrient control is good and your tank is well balanced and so you barely have any unwanted algae - or you do all cleaning and maintenance by hand.

For my tank, it's both, I don't really have much unwanted algae (just really on my glass) and anything I do have, I just brush it off with a brush as part of regular maintenance.

 

[exnisstech]

These are the most important part of my clean up crew. The only tanks I have nuisance algae in are the ones too small to keep a tang or two. I've kept urchins, snails, hermits, emeralds, pithos but with out a tang I have to do more work myself.

 

[rtparty]

Nobody has ever kept algae at bay by keeping nutrients ultra low that it didn’t also harm other organisms in the system that require those nutrients for health.

A clean up crew is essential to keeping algae at bay. The clean up crew consists of the smallest smalls (bacteria, pods, micro fauna) to the biggest bigs (you, the hobbyist.)

 

[jmcdona6]

Tank dependent but I do think a lot of people add CUC too soon and add way too many. I also look at the websites recommending one hermit per gallon, 1.5 snail per gallon, etc. as just upselling.

The average new hobbyist buys a crap ton of CUC too soon. Plops them in their tank. Half or more die over the next 3 months until they reach resource equilibrium. Wasteful.