When can I put a clean up crew in my marine tank?

In our opinion the best time to add a cleanup crew to your aquarium is after the tank has cycled, and the tank has begun showing algae. Both conditions should be met before adding a cleanup crew to your tank.

When should I get clean up crew?

When Should I Introduce my Cleanup Crew? If you are cycling your saltwater aquarium with live rock (as most saltwater aquarists do) then you will want to add the cleanup crew right after the cycle is complete (before you add fish).

Will clean up crew eat diatoms?

Snails are the first addition to your clean up crew. Snails will feed on algae, cyanobacteria, and diatoms along your rocks, substrate, and aquarium glass.

What clean up crew eats hair algae?

From the species I already covered, Nerite snails, Cerith snails, Blue legged hermits, Trochus snails, Astrea snails, and Red-legged hermits will all consume hair algae.

Should I add clean up crew or fish first?

Fish first unless you have green algae for the cleanup crew to eat. Snails are the best things to add at first. There are many types. Each type feeds on different surfaces.

When can I add CUC?

3) When To Add A CUC Wait until the tank is cycled and you are noticing adequate algae growth. I always recommend adding a small amount of CUC members at a time, just to make sure there is enough food for everybody. You can always add more later, but not the other way around.

What do I feed my clean up crew?

Clean-up crews commonly consist of snails, crabs, shrimp, urchins, sea stars, sea cucumbers, conches or pretty much any animal that will consume detritus and algae.

What will eat marine hair algae?

There is probably no saltwater aquarium invertebrate that eats hair algae as reliably as a sea urchin. A few sea urchin species of note are the pincushion urchin (Lytechinus variegatus) and the blue and red tuxedo urchins (Mespilia globulus and Mespilia cf globulus, respectively).

Do snails eat hair algae?

Turbo Snails are another hungry snails that can clean the glass and rock. These snails are especially known for eating hair algae, but they will eat other kinds as well.

Who are the clean up crew at the saltwater aquarium?

Clean up crews consist of a variety of animals and it’s important you have a clean up crew working away in your tank. Each of these critters has a different function and below we will give you an overview of the general roles of snails, crabs, shrimps, sea stars, and urchins in the saltwater aquarium clean up crew.

What kind of invertebrates are in a saltwater clean up crew?

What Invertebrates Are Found In A Typical Saltwater Clean Up Crew Package? Saltwater clean up crew packages that include hermit crabs, snails, crabs, shrimp, and starfish make a great addition to your reef aquarium for an affordable price. Hermit Crabs: No saltwater water clean up crew should be without hermit crabs.

When to add a crew to your saltwater aquarium?

If you are cycling your saltwater aquarium with live rock (as most saltwater aquarists do) then you will want to add the cleanup crew right after the cycle is complete (before you add fish).

What kind of fish are good for a saltwater cleanup crew?

Starfish: Starfish are great in a saltwater cleanup crew because they hide out in hard to reach places consuming left over food and other saltwater tank waste. They are the perfect scavengers.