need help picking bottom cleaners

[mike90]

i know this is a topic that has been covered before but it seems everytime i get turbo snails or crabs they either get eaten or die. any good reccomendations for good bottom sand cleaners that won't get eaten? the fish in my tank are: dog face puffer, yellow tang, 2 clowns, and 3 damsels. are there any good shrimp that will clean the bottom and not get eaten?

 

[Anonymous]

Nassarius snails, perhaps? They will burrow into the sand, maybe that's better protection for them. how are your nitrates? high nitrates are murder on inverts.

 

[mike90]

ill have to check them. i just did a water change and havent had inverts in the tank since then so i might try that. but are there any shrimp that are good bottom cleaners?

 

[Rooster Cogburn]

Don't know how any of my tank cleaners go with your puffer or tang, but in my 125g reef currently have

1 sea cucumber (cleans the bottom like a champ, but make sure if ya get one he isn't a tank nuker <can release toxins and kill everything in tank>)

1 Sand sifting star (seems to get along fine with my smaller hermits, but had to remove a larger hermit for chewing on the stars legs when he would surface)

100ish various small snails (mostly Nassarius). As previously stated they burrow and constantly churn up the sand.

Many people take caution and are wary introducing any crabs in to a reef, but I tend to take the "until he harms something he can stay" approach. With that in mind, smaller hermit crabs will comb all over your rock and substrate for algea and uneaten food crumbs.

Hope that helps,
Chris

 

[mike90]

thanks. i think i'll try some more crabs.