A Guide to Clean-Up Crews

[fishcatch22]

will saltwater snail multiply and take over the tank the way fresh water snails do ?

if you're talking about reproducing in the home aquarium, it depends on the species... stomatellas, conchs, and occasionally cerith snails have been known to breed in the aquarium.... im sure there are a few more but I can't remember them right now.
and there are no snails that will "take over the tank" in either aquarium field the noly time that happens in FW tanks is if you overfeed your tank, which causes the snail population to boom in response. all FW snails are harmless and beneficial to have in the tank... i've also never heard of overpopulation incidents occuring inmarine tanks with snails with the possible exception of stomatellas.

 

[Grins]

Even with stomatellas it waxes and wanes. In marine tanks most are buying new snails, not working how to get rid of them.

 

[corinna]

I have found astrea rugosa the best snails for my tank. they seem to eat constantly and host some beautiful corraline algae

 

[mesia]

I have a sufficient clean up crew, but i have dead brown algea on my sand and nothing seems to eat it. What should i do?

the blue cheeked goby is instrumental at this. Mine keeps my sand sparkling with his continual sifting, i reckon he turns over the entire sand bed at least once a week !

 

[KEVBO]

red slime is cured by keeping a regular water change routine along with good water quality. I have been fighting it off for about 4 months and just this week got rid of it. I work at a tropical fish store and my manager is convienced it starts as a result of to much sunlight. Every tank in the front window of our store has red slime problems while the ones not in direct sunlight have no red slime. To get rid of the red slime in my tank i was told to do a 10 gallon water change for two days in a row
out of my 37 gallon tank. Be sure to use a turkey baster to blow off the red slime prior water change and gravel vaccuum the sand to take out your water. After defeating red slime be sure to keep a constant water change scheduale. This method worked on my tank i hope it works on yours. Good luck!

 

[Showdown]

sea urchin warning!

I bought a beautiful sea urchin just like the one pictured earlier in this thread and was also impressed by how well it cleaned the tank, a few weeks on though he had to go back to lfs

I also just got a sea urchin last week and it was doing a great job till yesterday I looked at it and it literally snatched up a chunck of a tiny Zoa frag a friend gave me. Here is a pic from my phone. Hard to see bit it's right behind the frag.