Natural coral reefs are oligotrophic (i.e. nutrient-poor) environments. What’s more, they tend to harbor an unusually high density of very hungry animals. Given their extremely low levels of algal productivity, and their minimal quantities of organic sediments, one could easily describe these environments as pristine.
Aquariums? Pristine? By and large, not so much. Especially when they contain more than one or two fish. Poopy sludge all over! And algae over the sand, over the rock, over the tank panels… Is that what you imagined when you built your saltwater aquarium system? Very likely not! Most probably, you envisioned something naturally clean like the reef itself.
To have such a system, free of fouling algae and detritus, one must include all members of the natural reef community. This certainly includes certain herbivores (especially algae-grazers) and detritivores. These animals should be well-represented in any aquarium big or small. While they are not always very colorful or exciting, they serve a vital purpose–cleaning. Thus, collectively, they are referred to as the clean-up crew.
These assemblages typically include “cleaner’’ animals such as snails (Nassarius, Trochus, Astrea, etc.), sea urchins or decapod crustaceans such as small, reef-safe shrimps or crabs. While dominated by invertebrates, there are a few small fish species that fit the bill. Indeed, to achieve maximum cleaning efficiency, the more the diverse the crew, the better!
This crew is truly a team. The most carefully selected clean-up crews do not exhibit undue or excessive competition. Firstly, one should be careful not to get too many individuals of the same species. It may be tempting to do just that when frustrated with, say, huge films of prolific green algae. But issues might show up down the road through overstocking or starvation that occurs after the food source has been depleted. For example, snails might starve to death; worse, deaths of these little gastropods often go unnoticed, leading to decomposition, nutrient spikes and increased levels of organic waste.
Secondly, and perhaps even more importantly, for excessive competition and maximum efficiency, the team should exhibit strong niche partitioning. In other words, make sure that each type of animal has its own resources and is specialized in exploiting them. For example, pincushion urchins and Nassarius snails both eat algae; however, while the urchin consumes it more quickly, the snail can alternately use detritus as a resource. Though Nassarius snails consume detritus more efficiently than copepods, copepods nevertheless are much smaller and so gain access to tiny pools of sludge (e.g. between little fissures in the rock) that are unreachable by the snail.
In this article you will learn how particulate organic matter and algae accumulate in aquaria as well as which types of clean-up crew animals most effectively eliminate which types of these waste accumulations.
Oddly, rabbitfishes (Family Siganidae) have never really been hugely popular in the marine aquarium hobby–not with reef aquarists nor with fish enthusiasts. For sure, there has never really been a “holy grail” siganid. This could definitely strike some longtime fishkeepers as downright surprising, as rabbitfish are hardy, reasonably social, active and attractive. For sure, the …
Goldline Rabbitfish: Most Underrated Reef Fish Ever? Read More »
Hair algae is not just one of the common forms of nuisance algae, it is also among the most difficult to eradicate. Indeed, despite the numerous options for biological algae control (i.e. herbivores), few “go after” hair algae. Thankfully, the select group of reliable hair algae eaters includes the beautiful and fascinating tuxedo urchins. The …
Pods. Phyto. At AlgaeBarn, these are the bread and butter of the reef aquarium diet. And for sure, these two items form the base of most freshwater and marine food chains. Just consider OceanMagik, which is a blend of four distinctly different species of phytoplankton. Or EcoPods, which is a mixed-species (four, to be exact) …
Nuisance algae is almost certain to emerge—at least to some extent—in all reef aquarium systems. Of course, the maintenance of good water quality is by far the best way to combat them. However, herbivores present an effective and totally natural means of algae control. Snails in particular are a great choice of algae-eating herbivore. In …
Hard to Kill: Using Cerith Snails and Siphonaria Limpets Read More »
Seldom are sea urchins described as “difficult” or “sensitive” aquarium animals. Yet, they can be quite touchy. Seemingly small insults (such as a slightly reduced salinity following a water change) can send them plummeting fast. And, sea urchins don’t seem to recover well from sickness, shock or injury. Sometimes, it seems that just looking at …
Symbiotic relationships are perhaps the most amazing thing that occurs in marine environments. While there are some that you can deliberately recreate in aquaria, there are also many others taking place all on their own. In this article, I’m going to be discussing a few of the symbiotic relationships you can build in your aquarium. …
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Maintaining a squeaky clean aquarium environment is no easy task. It requires frequent water changes, constantly rinsing mechanical filters, gravel vacuuming, algae wiping, and so on. It also requires a substantial amount of cash; top-quality filters and filter media are not cheap. If we are to be honest, few of us can say that we …
Utilizing the Peppermint Shrimp for General Tank Clean-Up Read More »
When it comes to your clean-up crew in your saltwater aquarium, you usually will think of snails, crabs and starfish. However, there are some other cool inverts and fish you can add that can help tremendously with your aquarium algae clean-up. There are so many saltwater fish that eat algae and this is just my …
When you’re first starting out your aquarium, you usually will spend all day checking on everything in your tank ensuring everything is still intact. Then, one day you look and you see this translucent looking pink flower… I receive one of two reactions from customers when they first come across Aiptasia anemones. One is panic. …
Conchs are definitely one of the more interesting mollusks that you can add to a saltwater tank. Depending on the type of conch you purchase, they will spend most of their time buried in your sand bed or moving across the top of it. They are ecologically beneficial as they will sift through your sand …
Hundreds or even thousands of species of microalgae and photosynthetic bacteria may appear in your aquarium. Before treating any type of algae, it is crucial to properly identify exactly what type of algae you’re dealing with. Luckily, most of them can be easily eradicated if identified properly. We here discuss a few commonly encountered saltwater …
We’ve come a long, long way in advancing natural marine aquarium keeping. Those of us who started out in the 80’s with barren “aquascapes” dead coral skeletons and crushed coral bottoms might look back with amazement at how so much has changed so fast. Just recall how many developments have taken place over the last …
Corals in a Box of Water: Creating a Natural Reef Tank Read More »
Earth is a planet of pods. Wherever there is water, there are amphipods, isopods, branchiopods, and so on. Pods are an integral part of pretty much every freshwater, brackish and marine ecosystem. But even among all these big players, the tiny copepod is a giant; in terms of both biomass and sheer number, copepods (subclass …
Why EcoPods are the Best Live Copepod Product Ever Read More »
One of the biggest challenges of keeping a successful reef aquarium, especially over the long term, is maintaining the purity of the main tank’s inner sanctum. We go through great lengths—expense, too—in order to achieve this. Think gravel vacuuming detritus, wringing filthy sponges over your kitchen sink, and so on… Is it necessary? The answer …
Most aquarists are already aware that snails eat algae. To be most correct, the majority of snail species are algivores. To be sure, some have extremely specialized diets that do not include algae; other snails are technically omnivores, eating all sorts of things including algae. Then, for marine aquarists in particular, there is the issue …
My first sight of a real, live sea urchin was in an aquarium (a friend’s) rather than in the sea. This was in my youth (i.e. quite a long time ago) in the upper Midwest–a time and place when/where marine aquarium livestock was quite difficult to get your hands on. Back then, and especially there, …
No one ever said that keeping reef aquaria is totally uncomplicated. Especially keeping them clean! Sure, some maintenance approaches are simpler than others; natural methods are, for example, fairly effortless means to control nuisance algae, detritus and pests. Natural methods certainly require some research, planning and occasional monitoring; but for the most part, they involve …
Even though battling algae is best done by finding and solving the underlying nutrient or lighting issue, it certainly doesn’t hurt to have a few algae eaters in your tank to help keep it in check. Home aquariums naturally have more nutrients than wild ecosystems, and the slightest change in maintenance can lead to short …
Utilizing saltwater creatures is one of the best ways to keep aquariums clean. Not only are you adding more interesting organisms, but you are also increasing biodiversity. This allows for an overall more stable reef. There are quite a few of these saltwater tank cleaners that will prove to be a great helping hand to …
They are found in freshwater, saltwater, and on land; they are called snails! Hobbyists have found saltwater snails to be one of the best critters for reef aquarium algae control. There is a saltwater snail for almost every kind of algae. For this reason, It is not surprising that they are one of the most …
