looking for cleanup crew ideas

[drowningoceans]

hey guys I have a question, I have 13 Red Leg hermit crabs and a peppermint shrimp any ideas on what else I should add to my 40 gallon bow front for a clean up crew I see a lot of fish waste sitting around in my sand bed. Any ideas on what else I should have in my tank I currently have two clowns to Cardinals I fixed line wrasse and a royal gramma all sugesstions must be reef safe and survivable in upper 70s temperatures thanks in advance

 

[bang guy]

A black Sea Cucumber is all I can think of.

 

[jay0705]

Narsissus snails, the spelling is wrong tho

 

[RobP]

I got rid of all of my hermit crabs and went with a Brittle Star and a Anemone Crab.

 

[drowningoceans]

Yea i was kinda hesitant to buy the hermits but they were all my lfs had for a cleanup crew at the time, I know they like to munch on snails when they can lol

 

[jay0705]

Get big snails lol

 

[flower]

A black Sea Cucumber is all I can think of.

Totally agree with a cucumber... you need your sand turned and moved around so stuff doesn't settle on it. You might also try and work with your water flow to clear the sand a little better. Bow fronts are hard to get the flow right, so it cleans the debris off of the sand and rock.

 

[drowningoceans]

what a sand sifting star be okay then, as far as the cucumbers go I know they put a toxin in the water when stressed or die which makes me kinda hesitant to put them in the tank I have a lot of money invested in my startup and I don't want to see it go away

 

[flower]

what a sand sifting star be okay then, as far as the cucumbers go I know they put a toxin in the water when stressed or die which makes me kinda hesitant to put them in the tank I have a lot of money invested in my startup and I don't want to see it go away

A sand sifting star will deplete a sand bed of all fauna. It's suited for a new tank that just got started, It would starve in no time.

 

[jay0705]

Shrimp, emerald crabs, decorator crabs. A few other critters that help clean up uneaten food. As far as sand sifting, u could try a small goby like a hectors, or reinfords.

 

[drowningoceans]

well my tank is a fairly new its not even a year old yet, don't they are normally eat fish waste and organics too?

 

[drowningoceans]

Yellow watchman by chance?

 

[jay0705]

Waste no, organics like algae yes. Yellow watch really isnt a sand sifter. Atleast mine doesnt. My hectors and sleeper headed goby do tho

 

[bang guy]

what a sand sifting star be okay then, as far as the cucumbers go I know they put a toxin in the water when stressed or die which makes me kinda hesitant to put them in the tank I have a lot of money invested in my startup and I don't want to see it go away

The Black "mopping type" Sea Cucumbers are not toxic.

 

[drowningoceans]

By chance do u have the genus and species name?

 

[bang guy]

Holothuria atra I believe.

 

[drowningoceans]

T

Holothuria atra I believe.

thanks, I got to that fish place that pet place (20 mins from me) to get my fish and they dont always give you the right livestock if you dont give them genus and species, unless you deal with thier biologist lol