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You are here: Home / Invertebrates / Captive Bred Inverts / Saltwater Tank Cleaners
Starfish are a great Aquarium Cleaner

Saltwater Tank Cleaners

by greg.chernoff

Utilizing saltwater creatures is one of the best ways to keep aquariums cleaner. 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 a hobbyist that decides to add them to their tank.

Cleaner Inverts

The biggest category of cleaning organisms is invertebrates. You can add creatures such as snails and urchins to help keep your tank free of algae and detritus.

Snails are one of the most popular creatures of this kind. They are very cheap and there are lots of different snails that can be used for different reasons. For example, you may want to use the Cerith Snail for keeping you sand bed aerated while using Trochus Snails to manage film algae on the rocks or glass. You can also combine different kinds of snails to do the same task, such as adding both Nassarius and Conch Snails to manage the sand bed. It is important to make sure you know which snails are able to flip themselves over. Some snails can not, which means you will have to flip them over or else they will die. The Turbo Snail is an example of this. Although it can’t flip itself over, it is still very useful, especially for getting rid of hair algae. Still, you will want to be aware of the issue. Another thing to note about snails is that some can be unintentionally destructive. As long as your rocks and corals are secure, there should not be any issues. Snails can be a great addition to any clean up crew needing improvement or a greater work force.

Sea Urchins are something that are not in enough reef tanks. Pincushion Urchins are certainly one of the best. They make amazing dents to algae growing on the rocks. They are very easy to care for and fairly cheap. You often find them working at night to clear large patches of algae off rocks and glass. They are peaceful towards other inverts and towards other Pincushion Urchins. Not only are they extremely helpful, but their appearance is also unlike any other invert. If you don’t want one of these urchins for their great cleaning habits, you probably want one for their cool looks. These odd invertebrates should be a part of every tank’s clean up crew.

Crabs are another invert that could benefit a reef aquarium. Crabs, such as Hermits and Emerald Crabs, are scavengers. This means they will be constantly be roaming around your tank in search of leftover food and detritus. There is a large variety of crabs, as some may be extremely peaceful, while others may be a tank destroyer. This is where research comes into play. Be sure to research any crab or creature you add to your aquarium.

[CInverts]

Tank Maintenance Fish

Algae can be a big issue in a reef tank. While scrubbing, doing water changes, and improving filtration is the best way to get rid of it, you can also use fish to help fight it off. Even some of the most popular saltwater fish are great for eating algae. Tangs are one of the most well-known fish for this behavior. The beautiful Yellow Tang is just one example that will pick at algae on the rocks. Kole Tangs are another great option. Tangs are not a solution to algae, but they certainly help. They are amazing fish in appearance as well. If your tank is big enough, you should have at least one Tang swimming around in it.

Blennies are another fish that can help with algae. Lawnmower Blennies are most popular for this, but there are many other Blennies that can be used. Blennies are generally peaceful fish that have some of the best personalities you can find in a fish. They will eat almost anything from frozen food to flake food. Their long snake shape adds to the diversity of fish in the tank as well. You should note that Blennies will not get along with each other. Like other fish, they do not like fish that have a similar shape as them. I recommend only one Blenny per tank. Once again, Blennies are a fish that should be considered for every tank.

Saltwater pests have crashed tanks and caused people to leave the hobby. It is a great mistake not to dip every coral frag that goes into your tank. Sometimes, though, the pests still make their way in. Pests like Bristle Worms are not fun to get rid off, but wrasses can help kill them off. Once again, this is a double benefit, as you get to add another beautiful fish and control pests. You should understand that different wrasses will eat different pests. Also note that some of these pest eating wrasses are not just pest eaters, but overall invert assassins.

Using beautiful fish to control pests and algae is of the best ways to combat these issues. I’m sure you would be happy to have an excuse to get another fish too!

Fish Cleaners

While snails and urchins are great for cleaning algae off the rocks, the fish themselves could be cleaned too. Disease prone fish such as Tangs especially love to be cleaned. The popular Cleaner Shrimp is one of the best at this. It will clean dead skin and parasites off any fish that swim to it. It may even clean your arm while it is in the tank too! A lot of hobbyists get Cleaner Shrimps for their bright red stripes and long, flowy antennas. Can you blame them? No, but their cleaning abilities are another reason to add a few to the tank. You can have multiple in one tank, which means more cleaning will occur.

You can allow more fish to be cleaned by adding cleaner fish too. The Cleaner Wrasse is one of these cleaner fish. These fish are hardy and peaceful. The only downside is that they can be difficult to care for. They have very fast metabolisms, which means they need to be fed small portions throughout the day.

Another cleaner fish option is the Neon Goby. These little guys can be put in tanks as small as ten gallons. These fish are much easier to care and are very hardy. They will set up cleaning stations where they will spend most of their time. At these cleaning stations, they will clean any fish the lets them. Their bright blue stripes are what signals larger fish that they are cleaner fish. If you are afraid to try the Cleaner Wrasse but you still want a cleaner fish, you should definitely get a Neon Goby.

Micro Machines

Many people think about the saltwater tank cleaners that can easily be seen, such as snails and fish, but they may not consider the ones that are barely visible. Although they are extremely small, copepods can do a lot to help clean up detritus. Unlike snails or Hermit Crabs, they can get to the smallest holes and crevices in the tank and eat up detritus that could otherwise pollute the water. It is silly to look past copepods for their size.

The goal of a reef aquarium is to mimic the ocean as closely as possible. If the ocean has copepods, you probably should too. They increase the biodiversity in the tank, adding to the stability.

There are many saltwater tank cleaners and you can put them all in your tank to increase the overall health and beauty of your reef by keeping it free of algae and detritus. A reef tank would surely not be a reef tank without these hardworking cleaners.

[CInverts]

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. ktompkins says

    October 25, 2019 at 6:09 am

    I had a kole tang. He got aggressive.

    Reply
  2. Christopher Burns says

    October 25, 2019 at 6:23 am

    nice

    Reply
  3. SwiftNova . says

    October 25, 2019 at 7:45 am

    Very Interesting!

    Reply
  4. Brett says

    October 25, 2019 at 8:04 am

    Solid info! Love it!

    Reply
  5. barniebob says

    October 25, 2019 at 9:44 am

    Love it all!

    Reply
  6. barniebob says

    October 25, 2019 at 9:44 am

    Love it all!

    Reply
  7. Jose says

    October 25, 2019 at 10:07 am

    Thank you for the info, I will keep an eye for flipped turbos!

    Reply
  8. polygonreef says

    October 25, 2019 at 12:29 pm

    They love cleaning

    Reply
  9. polygonreef says

    October 25, 2019 at 12:29 pm

    They love cleaning

    Reply
  10. LIZ DAVID says

    October 25, 2019 at 4:23 pm

    May look at adding more varieties to my tank

    Reply
  11. Liesle says

    October 25, 2019 at 4:49 pm

    Very must haves if you want a solid reef culture if you ask me!
    I try to balance some of all!

    Reply
  12. Jason Beguhn says

    October 25, 2019 at 5:09 pm

    Sometimes I wish they would do a better job cleaning up.

    Reply
  13. Paul Worley says

    October 25, 2019 at 6:10 pm

    Scopas tang

    Reply
  14. Jeffrey Lutz says

    October 25, 2019 at 6:55 pm

    I have numerous snails, great clean up crew.

    Reply
  15. casey moffett says

    October 26, 2019 at 9:20 am

    Thank you for the list

    Reply
  16. ignoandfrigi says

    October 26, 2019 at 9:32 am

    Fish and inverts do help a lot, but I find the micro cleaners to be the hardest working and the least obvious as well. I see the copepods all over the glass hard at work whenever I forget to scrape off film algae.

    Reply
  17. seitzjh says

    October 26, 2019 at 4:05 pm

    I need more cuc.

    Reply
  18. Jordan Hernandez says

    October 27, 2019 at 12:37 am

    Cuc is the best p

    Reply
  19. Cody Gruber says

    October 28, 2019 at 2:54 pm

    Vacuum

    Reply
  20. Paul Kachirsky says

    October 28, 2019 at 3:09 pm

    I have a Starry Blenny and Conch Tiger

    Reply
  21. Daniel Shyer says

    October 28, 2019 at 4:33 pm

    good read, thx!

    Reply
  22. Liz Lynn says

    October 28, 2019 at 4:57 pm

    Going to bring more varieties to my crew now

    Reply
  23. Charles miller says

    October 28, 2019 at 6:36 pm

    Had some and didn’t really do their job

    Reply
  24. robert vice says

    October 28, 2019 at 8:53 pm

    I just got me a yellow eye kole tang his names Roscoe p. kole tang

    Reply
  25. Nicholas Nevins says

    October 28, 2019 at 9:35 pm

    I will def have a neon goby

    Reply
  26. chris13 says

    October 29, 2019 at 7:15 am

    The Cleanup Crew can be some of the most fascinating to watch, particularly when the lights are off. An LED red flashlight and a magnifying glass reveals just how much bio-diversity is on your reef.

    Reply
  27. Wilfredo Robles says

    October 29, 2019 at 9:24 am

    can Neon Goby be kept with seahorses?

    Reply
  28. Nick says

    October 29, 2019 at 2:05 pm

    I love snails and cucumbers for algae especially gha thanks

    Reply
  29. Timothy Shaner says

    October 29, 2019 at 2:33 pm

    I didn’t know copepods were so useful!

    Reply
  30. Mike Howell says

    October 29, 2019 at 5:04 pm

    Good tips!

    Reply
  31. krautzm says

    October 29, 2019 at 8:14 pm

    Great tpis

    Reply
  32. krautzm says

    October 29, 2019 at 8:21 pm

    I love using snails and crabs in the tank… So interesting to watch

    Reply
  33. Elliot says

    October 30, 2019 at 6:34 am

    gonna need a cleaning crew soon.

    Reply
  34. Jordan says

    October 30, 2019 at 10:21 am

    Very helpful

    Reply
  35. Mark Valentino says

    October 30, 2019 at 11:40 am

    I use all of the above. My wrasse and puffer just make meals out of them quickly.

    Reply
  36. Ro Vance says

    October 30, 2019 at 2:34 pm

    My starry dragonette is the only cleaner fish I have, but I have several inverts

    Reply
  37. Rose Salazar says

    October 31, 2019 at 9:49 am

    I need to tell my daughter about this.

    Reply
  38. art anderson says

    October 31, 2019 at 5:07 pm

    cool

    Reply
  39. Ashton says

    October 31, 2019 at 7:13 pm

    A nice way to not only help you keep your tank clean and balanced, but also to increase the biodiversity of your tank and at the same time possibly feeding your fish and corals or other inverts you may have in your tank! Plus they are incredibly interesting.

    Reply
  40. Jerry Pearson says

    October 31, 2019 at 7:36 pm

    Just getting ready to cycle. Good info to know.

    Reply
  41. Jay Gray says

    November 1, 2019 at 9:20 am

    A mix of stuff is best

    Reply
  42. Charles says

    November 1, 2019 at 9:41 pm

    I like a diversity of cleaners

    Reply
  43. sabbath2 says

    November 3, 2019 at 7:27 am

    Emerald crabs can be the devil.

    Reply
  44. Esther says

    November 3, 2019 at 7:36 pm

    Much needed in a tank!

    Reply
  45. George says

    March 20, 2020 at 10:48 pm

    great information will use it when I get my tank setup

    Reply

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