How critical are snails or other clean up crews?

[duganderson]

I have a 34 g. Red Sea cube with a scrubber and low-moderate fish count. I'm adding a 1 inch sandbed soon.

 

Do folks have success running tanks with sandbags without snails or other clean up crews? I'm a little unclear about the actual benefits of clean up crew if you have good flow and you blow off your rocks and vacuum and stir your sanded once or twice a week.

 

I would love any thoughts, opinions, articles, etc. Thank you in advance.

[nancymatthews]

I love my CUC. I know for a fact they control my algae.

I have a coco worm that had algae growing all over its tube. The tube is about 16 inches long. This happened only a few days ago. I woke up the next day and BAM all the algae, GONE. My tank would be a disaster without them. I keep my water as clean as I can. I do 20% water changes twice a week.

I have a 28g Nano Cube.

My tank is high in nutrients therefore I get algae often but my CUC keep it under control. I'm not talking about hair algae. Just your typical thin layer of algae you see on your glass.

[nancymatthews]

Oh, I do that many water changes because I had a really bad GHA breakout in the past and kinda just kept the same routine going to not get it again. but I do this by choice and have the time and my livestock are happy and healthy. Its like they have their own maid service twice a week.

[Boggers]

I will never run a tank without snails. I do not use the other possible CUC, but snails help keep the rocks and glass clean. No matter how much to blow off rocks and clean glass, you have to do it less with a good CUC.

[NYfishies]

CUC is a must IMO.

 

I use the below.

 

Diatoms: Ceriths & Limpets

Green Film on Glass: Astreas & Turbos

Hair Algae: Turbos & Chitons

Cyano: Ceriths & Nerites

Sand Sifter: Nassarius

[Mariaface]

If you get live rock, the CUC will likely be there already. Collonistas, limpets, micro stars, copepods, etc. Basting the rocks won't scrape algae from its surfaces, or process detritus even further, or eat biofilm/diatoms/cyanobacteria/microalgae/phytoplankton, etc.

 

Putting the clean up crew in the tank yourself guarantees that you'll have a solution for the set of problems you may run into. Leaving the sandbed undisturbed for a week between vacuuming means an entire week to build anaerobic regions, for detritus to break down instead of being released into the water or eaten or filtered out, etc. Keeping snails that disturb the sandbed will help (ceriths, nassarius, etc).

 

I'm a big fan of the banded trochus for most film type algae, as well as the softer filamentous stuff. They can right themselves and are pretty gentle (unless someone hitchhikes on their shell, in which case they throw a dance party and I get entertainment).

 

Limpets get everywhere. Mine hitchhiked in and are keeping my rocks beautifully clean.

 

Tisbe pods will help break down detritus, and become tasty snacks.

 

Mexican turbos get big and can bulldoze, but you can always borrow/buy one if you run into a problem later on.

[brandon429]

Im on the side of no cuc needed and agreed with the limpets. my algae excluder is coralline and coral flesh, algae are discouraged via biochemical systems there so my whole reef is that.

 

in the early phases I hand guided out all forms of algae possible in the system except for cyano and some green algae variants (always able, exchanges with the environment and our tanks actively) but coralline repels those.

 

they will collect on a sandbed if neglected so every few mos I blast clean it all. no cuc is needed for me, I never ever work on my rocks for algae, not for 7 yrs about that long.

 

with decent weekly water changes even the bed cleaning isn't required, all relative to care trends.

 

if I had a larger more inaccessible tank id have some decently matched cuc members, but being algae free can be had other ways without repeated work overloads.

[NYfishies]

Im on the side of no cuc needed and agreed with the limpets. my algae excluder is coralline and coral flesh, algae are discouraged via biochemical systems there so my whole reef is that.

 

in the early phases I hand guided out all forms of algae possible in the system except for cyano and some green algae variants (always able, exchanges with the environment and our tanks actively) but coralline repels those.

 

they will collect on a sandbed if neglected so every few mos I blast clean it all. no cuc is needed for me, I never ever work on my rocks for algae, not for 7 yrs about that long.

 

with decent weekly water changes even the bed cleaning isn't required, all relative to care trends.

 

if I had a larger more inaccessible tank id have some decently matched cuc members, but being algae free can be had other ways without repeated work overloads.

 

In a mature tank what you say is much easier. We would all love no algae because our coral cover our rocks!

[brandon429]

and the total area I have to cover is 8 inches square to be 100%, unfair comparison ratios at play. it costs me a few hundred bucks to be full coverage and yall are 2000++

[Clown79]

I would never cut out cuc. I feel its a natural part of the ecosystem.

 

I do weekly water changes, turkey bast rocks, and vacuum sand - i still feel a benefit with cuc...

[brandon429]

if they aren't keeping algae down, cuc can actually contribute to it by waste they contribute. to me a key detail is keeping only known-working cuc memebers if algae targeting is the goal

 

I like clean up crews, trochus snails might help w algae but its always best to hand force the algae out then use em for growback control