What fish are good for substrate cleaning??

[viking]

Just wondering what fish you guys use to keep up your sand/cc beds. I assume its either a goby or a blenny of some kinda but are there curtain ones that do it really well?

 

[amphiprion]

Any of the gobies of the Valenciennea family (Sleeper Gobies)are excellent at keeping the substrate clean.
Valenciennea puellaris - Orange spotted Sleeper Goby
V. strigata - Yellow headed sleeper goby
V. longipinnis - Long finned Sleeper Goby
I got my orange spotted sleeper goby from Salwaterfish.com .
Be warned though -they sift through the sand looking for critters to eat. So if you have a live sand bed with pods and such - they will eat them. If you have crushed coral, it may be too coarse for them - injuring their mouths and gills.
Other than that, hermit crabs are excellent for cleaning the substrate.
Also, if you get a sleeper goby, you must keep the tank covered. They will jump out. I have lost a couple this way.
[ August 08, 2001: Message edited by: Amphiprion ]

 

[grouperhead]

i agree w/ amphiprion on the sleeper gobys. they do need a tight lid like he said, i have seen some jump out. other things good for cleaning sand beds are your regular reef and blue leg hermits, horseshoe crab (for large tanks only), and just about any other crab (arrow, sally, mithrax will all celan uneaten food and poop). some wrasses will burry in and out of the sand bed all the time keeping it looking good. bo

 

[salttrigger]

I got a Orange-spotted Goby and they do hey good job with my substrate,and don't worry about this fish jumping out of your tank, my tank is uncover and no fish loss.

 

[amphiprion]

Yes worry about them jumping. I lost two on the floor in two months.

 

[goofieones]

jawfish will also work good.