
Written by Dan
What this article covers
- Do I have to have a cleanup crew?
- What is the benefit of having a cleanup crew?
- How big of a cleanup crew do I need?
- What creatures should I have in my cleanup crew?
- Acclimating your Cleanup Crew
- Common cleanup crew members
- Nassarius Snail
- Bumble Bee Snail
- Cerith Snail
- Margarita Snail
- Trochus Snail
- Astrea Turbo Snail
- Mexican Turbo Snail
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Do I have to have a cleanup crew?
Like many things outside of water and salt, the answer is no. A small contingent of people will even argue against them. The general consensus though, is that a good well rounded and properly stocked cleanup crew is beneficial and should be utilized in a saltwater and especially a reef tanks.These tanks don't have good crews




What is the benefit of having a cleanup crew?
There are five major benefits to having a cleanup crew.- They will sift through the sand stirring it up and eating all the crud that is growing in there or has settled beneath the substrate surface. This is a big help to helping maintain appropriate oxygen levels in your substrate.
- They eat the Algae (Including Pest or Nuisance Algae) to help keep your tank looking pretty and reduce the elbow grease you have to use to keep it clean
- They eat Detritus (Fish Poo) and left over food that will eventually break down into nitrate just to feed the algae
- They eat unwanted critters that hitchhike into your tank in live rock and along with coral. We can be as good as we want to be at curing, dipping, and quarantining but if you keep tanks long enough; it is inevitable you will get some type of unwanted hitchhiker. Having the right hunter on the team that likes to eat your type of pest will take care of that.
- Finally, they are friggen awesome creatures to watch crawl around the tank!
How big of a cleanup crew do I need?
This question really depends on your specific setup. That said do not go by what the bulk critter packages recommend, and definitely think through most of the per gallon recommendations. They just don’t make sense, especially for a new tank.

What creatures should I have in my cleanup crew?
Diversity is key! Mix it up, having a variety of creatures that perform different functions and at times overlap will aid in creating a better-rounded ecosystem in your tank. A well rounded team will also expand the spectrum of what your crew cleans. Think about it this way, if all your maid had was a vacuum you would have some dirty windows after a while. That would suck, so make sure you provide all the needed cleaning equipment. The good and maybe even bad news is you have a ton to choose from. Also consider your habits and the other tank mates. If you tend to feed heavily or have a large fish community you may want to lean more heavily on detritus eaters, some of which also eat algae; rather than having a heavy algae eating crew. Just remember the 5 things your crew should do and hire a wide selection.
Acclimating your Cleanup Crew
Invertebrates require extra care when acclimating, since they are more easily impacted by sudden water condition changes this process is extremely important for settling them into your tank. Although a lot of these creatures are just a couple dollars some can get expensive and not something you want dying a days after being pot in the tank. A long drip acclimation is recommended. I would actually recommend letting most inverts drip for about 2 hours. To perform a drip acclimation setup a bucket or bowl housing the cleaner in the water it came in but with enough room for a good bit of water to be added. Take water from your tank and slowly drip it into the bucket. This causes the water parameters in the bucket to gradually match the water in your tank. Allow them to drip for a couple hours to be safe. There are several ways to drip water from one tank to the other. You can purchase specialized drip hose clamps which have a clamp, which crimps down on a hose reducing the possible flow. These are good to easily allow multiple drip speeds. If you don’t have one, a great DIY option is to tie a knot in one end of an air hose. Place the other end in your tank and start a siphon. You can tighten or loosen the knot to control your drip speed. When moving your cleaner to your tank, it is best to do so without fully removing it from the water. Place the bag or bucket into the tank and allow the star to enter the tank w/out being exposed to air. Save Save Save Save Save Save SaveCommon Cleanup Crew Members
Snails
Snails make up the bulk of the aquarium janitor crew. Snails clean everything and can go just about everywhere in search of food. They will climb the glass rocks and even get down into your sump over time. I recommend to aim for about 1 per 10 gallons. Start off at 1 per 30 and work your way to that though based on your rock work and feeding needs. Know that not all Snails are created equal, snails like turbo and trochus are bigger and will eat more than a margarita. The down side to a lot of species is once they are on their back they done for though.Nassarius Snail

- Eats – Detritus and left over meaty food that falls to the substrate
- Max Size – 1/2:”
Bumble Bee Snail

- Eats – Detritus, meaty leftovers, nuisance worms, etc.
- Max Size ½”
Cerith Snail

- Eats – Detritus, un eaten food, and algae
- Max Size 1 ½”
Margarita Snail

- Eats – Algae, the standard green and brown filmy stuff we all get and even the hair algae that pops up from time to time
- Max Size – 1”
Trochus Snail

- Eats – Standard Algae, Diatoms, and Cyanobacteria
- Max Size – 1” or slightly over
Astrea Turbo Snail

- Eats – Standard Algae, Diatoms, and Cyanobacteria
- Max Size – About 1”
Mexican Turbo Snail

- Eats – Algae, Hair Algae, other Nuisance Algae
- Max Size – 2”
Crabs
Crabs come in a close second for most popular cleaner. Crabs will go all over the sand and rockwork in search of food. Some may even climb the first few inches of glass if there is enough algae to grab a hold too, but won’t really keep the glass clean. These too should be somewhere in the ball park of 1 per 10 gallons. Crabs primary focus will be cleaning up left over food and detritus followed closely by algae detail.Blue Leg Hermit Crab

- Eats – Detritus, Hair Algae, Some cyanobacteria, film algae
- Max Size – 1 ½” shell
Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab

- Eats – Detritus, Hair Algae, Slime Algae, Filamentous
- Max Size – 1 ½”
Dwarf Hermit Crab

- Eats – Varies on specific species
- Max Size – Up to 1”
Emerald Crab

- Eats – Bubble Algae, Detritus, Left over Misys lasagna, and standard algae types
- Max Size – 2 ½”
Halloween Hermit Crab

- Eats – cyanobacteria, hair algae, detritus, uneaten meaty fish food
- Max Size – 1 ½”
Starfish
When I refer to starfish for the cleanup crew I am probably not talking about the sea star / starfish that caught your eye at the local fish store, although many of those do a great job on the glass and rockwork. The ones in your cleanup crew will come out to play from time to time but will spend more of their time hidden in those places you can’t clean without really tearing your aqua scape apart. They are also going to require a more mature tank as their food source will often include many microorganisms that will cultivate in your tank over time. Aim for 1 per 50 gallons again based on rock and sand volume and wait until around 9-13 months before introducing them to the tank.Sand Sifting Sea Star

- Eats – Detritus and left over foods will be its main diet in a well fed tank. If that dwindles though it will feed on small invertebrates including bivalves, shrimp, mollusks, and urchins.
- Max Size – 1 foot
Brittle Starfish

- Eats – Detritus, left over food, microorganisms, zooplankton
- Max Size – 10”
Serpent Sea Star

- Eats – Detritus and Meaty foods
- Max Size – 1’ 2”
Shrimp
Shrimp are awesome to look at and can server a few purposes. Most will eat detritus but depending on the specific species, some will also clean fish, sift sand, or even eat unwanted hitchhikers like aptasia and bristleworms.Peppermint Shrimp

- Eats – Aiptasia, Detritus, Meaty foods
- Max Size – 2”
Banded Coral Shrimp

- Eats – Bristle Worms, Small Inverts, Detritus, Meaty Leftovers
- Max Size – 3”
Pistol Shrimp

- Eats – Algae, and any leftover food on the substrate and rockwork
- Max Size – 2 ½”
Skunk Cleaner

- Eats – Outside of what they get from cleaning your fish they will also eat some algae but will pull most of their diet from the meaty bits that get past your fish and make it to the bottom of the tank.
- Max Size – 2”
Urchins
Urchins make for a cool addition to the marine tank. Be careful with most species though. Tuxedo Urchins excluded, most Urchins are known to bulldoze the tank. Ensure a tank you put them in has the rock work secured and glued together where appropriate. Urchins can and will topple unstable structures. Given a safe home these guys will tear through algae though.Tuxedo Urchin

- Eats – All types of Algae including Hair Algae and Coralline
- Max Size – 3”
Pincushion Urchin

- Eats – Algae
- Max Size – 8”
Shortspine Urchin

- Eats – Algae
- Max Size – 3”
Pods
A well balanced tank is going to grow pods naturally. They will get into your tank via live rock, substrate, or as coral hitchhikers. These provide benefits not just in eating micro detritus and algae but also by becoming a food source for other creatures in your tank. Some fish and inverts will feed on nothing but these in their natural habitat.Amphipod

- Eats – Algae and Detritus
- Max Size – 5-10mm depending on species
Copepod

- Eats – Algae and Detritus
- Max Size – 1-3mm depending on species
Did I leave your favorite cleaner out? Let me know in the comments so I can consider adding it in future updates!
Conclusion
Do you need one no, should you have one yes! Building a solid cleanup crew will be a tremendously beneficial step in setting up your tank.
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