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Cleanup Crews

Cleanup Crews in Aquariums

Updated on November 03, 2021
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Reviewed by Dawn Burch
Director of Animal Care, Education & Compliance (ACE) at Petco
aqarium clean up crew

When you brought home a saltwater aquarium, you probably envisioned yourself enjoying a pristine display of aquatic life. To make this a reality, your underwater marine oasis requires routine maintenance. Despite the dedication you put into scraping algae, siphoning the substrate and performing water changes, it can be difficult and time-consuming to remove all debris and algae, reaching every crevice yourself.
 
Undesirable algae, uneaten food and organic waste can quickly accumulate on your aquarium’s panels, rocks and substrate. What you hoped would resemble a serene oceanic environment may be overcome with unsightly gunk. Decaying matter in your aquarium can also lead to spikes of nitrate, phosphate and ammonia, which can negatively impact the wellbeing of your aquatic pets. Saltwater cleanup crews can play a vital role in the aquarium cleaning process and help prevent this from happening. 
 
To help keep your aquarium clean, try recreating the ecosystems found in ocean environments. Coral reefs are one type of marine environment that many hungry animals who scavenge debris and algae call home, and these reef cleanup crews are responsible for the tidy appearance of their environments.
 
A cleanup crew is a diverse community of invertebrates and small fish who feed on organic matter like detritus and undesirable algae. Common saltwater aquarium cleaner animals include some species of snails, crabs, shrimp, urchins and sea cucumbers. If you want help keeping your saltwater aquarium clean, these animals should be well-represented. 

Cleanup crew basics 

There’s a reason these pets are collectively known as a crew—they really do work together to aid in maintaining the proper environment for saltwater pets to thrive. These creatures are crucial to establishing and maintaining a prosperous ecosystem within your aquarium. Each organism plays a unique role, eating specific kinds of algae or debris commonly referred to as detritus.
 
Most saltwater tank cleaners are divided into three categories, depending on what they consume: Herbivores eat algae, detritivores eat decomposing organic matter (such as fish waste and uneaten food) and omnivores eat multiple kinds of matter.

Niche partitioning 

Diversifying your cleanup crew for a saltwater tank can be crucial to their effectiveness and efficiency. Each cleaner should have their own resources according to their specialty. In nature, this is known as niche partitioning. When each species cleans the aquarium in unique ways, it allows them not just to coexist but thrive as a collective. 

There are a wide variety of invertebrates who make up an effective cleaning crew. Because of their small size, blue leg hermit crabs can reach into tight crevices to eat detritus, cyanobacteria and algae that bigger invertebrates cannot reach. They also help aerate the sand while scavenging for food. Emerald crabs are one of the few species that eat unwanted bubble algae. Coral banded shrimp scour the aquarium for uneaten food and detritus.

Scarlet skunk cleaner shrimp are known for employing a slightly different cleaning method, setting up cleaning stations on coral reefs to assist with the removal of parasites and dead tissue from the body, gills and mouth of fish or eels. This helps protect the fish and eels from contracting diseases and infections. These shrimp also help keep the aquarium clean and prevent water contamination by feeding on uneaten food and detritus.

Another small but mighty cleaner is the peppermint shrimp, which is part of the cleaner shrimp family but is considered more of a scavenger. They may help control nuisance anemones such as small aiptasia.

Let’s not forget about snails, inching their way around the tank, consuming algae at record speed! Astrea and turbo snails, who should be provided ample room to roam, enjoy grazing on algae that grows on the sides of the aquarium and on rocks.

Let’s look at how some cleaning animals work together, starting with nassarius snails and copepods. The snails can eat more detritus, uneaten food, decaying organics and fish waste in shorter periods, but the tiny copepods can access and clean smaller areas that the snails can’t reach. Nassarius snails can also coexist with pincushion urchins, with the snails consuming detritus and the urchins consuming algae. 

Rounding out the ultimate cleaning crew, we have starfish. Chocolate chip starfish feed on detritus and uneaten food, which helps prevent the contamination of water in the aquarium, while sand-sifting stars are effective at moving large amounts of sand as they search for food, thereby cleaning and aerating it.

Common algae to combat 

Aquariums go through multiple cycles of algae blooms. While not all algae are inherently harmful, they can grow in extreme proportions. If algae become a nuisance, your aquarium may have a nutrient imbalance or an inadequate cleanup crew.
 
Keeping your aquarium clean throughout algae blooms can be challenging without an effective saltwater cleanup crew. Introducing these creatures before algal populations get out of hand is recommended.

Diatoms: The first algae bloom in a saltwater aquarium brings the growth of diatoms, which are natural and show up as a brown layer or dusting along the sand bed and on the walls of the aquarium. They are commonly seen during new tank setup or when re-establishing an aquatic environment. Diatoms feed on silicates in the sand, so you’ll need cleaners who specialize in sifting sand, such as sand-sifting starfish, fighting conchs, blue leg hermit crabs or nassarius snails. It’s also ideal to have creatures that eat diatoms, such as cerith and banded trochus snails.

Film algae: If you’ve ever had to scrape algae from the glass because it was blocking your view, you’ve encountered film algae. Film algae often grow on the glass but can also be found on rocks and décor. Many cleaners eat this algae, including trochus and astraea turbo snails.

Hair algae: Another common problem is hair algae, which is caused by an excess of available nutrients, particularly phosphates and nitrates and appears as long, green strands along rocks. Hair algae are enjoyed by many cleanup crew organisms, including cerith and nerite snails, blue leg and red leg hermit crabs, pincushion urchins, emerald crabs and sea hares. 

Cyanobacteria: Your aquarium may also experience a cyanobacteria bloom, which is generally caused by an increase in nutrients and organic buildup and appears as a red or purple slime. While cyanobacteria are often considered algae, they are technically classified as photosynthetic bacteria and are more prevalent when low water circulation (or dead zones) is present and water temperatures are over 80°F.
Cerith and nerite snails, as well as red leg and blue leg hermit crabs, can help clean up cyanobacteria. 

Bubble algae: Commonly found on live rock, bubble algae are green, round or tubular in shape and can range from the size of a pea to that of a quarter. Under the right (or technically wrong) conditions, bubble algae blooms can be explosive, coating nearly everything in the tank and even clogging filters. Some herbivorous fish (such as tangs or rabbitfish) may help, but if you are looking for a cleanup crew addition, look no further than the emerald crab.

When should I get a cleanup crew?

Introduce a saltwater cleanup crew once the aquarium is fully established and has completed the nitrogen cycle. If you add cleaners before algae or detritus appear, they may not have sufficient food to eat. Be prepared to supplement your cleanup crew’s diet with commercially available food to ensure they receive all the nutrients they need to thrive. 

Do I quarantine my cleanup crew?

Fish-borne parasites and illnesses are concerns whenever introducing new organisms into your aquarium. To be cautious, you can quarantine your new invertebrates in separate aquariums for a minimum of two weeks. However, if your cleaning pets are kept within their own habitats before you bring them home, there is typically no risk of fish-born parasites or illnesses being transmitted. Be sure to provide your crew species-specific food if housed in a quarantine tank that does not contain a buildup of algae and detritus.

What is the ideal cleanup crew for my aquarium? 

You’ll want a diverse cleanup crew for a saltwater aquarium. The exact species and size of the team depends on your aquarium’s ecosystem and size, as well as other aquatic inhabitants, and an eclectic combination of these hungry pets is a great way to manage the buildup of organic matter. Common cleaners to start with include some species of  snails, crabs, copepods and sand-sifting starfish. At Petco, our Pet Care Center aquatic specialists can even help you put together a saltwater cleanup crew package with the ideal cleaners for the size and variety of aquatic life in your habitat. 

What cleanup crew members eat fish waste?

Fish produce waste like all living things. Thankfully, many snails, hermit crabs and shrimp will eat fish waste. A diverse team of cleaners should help you manage the accumulation of fish waste. You can also use a substrate vacuum or water changer to manually remove debris that goes uneaten.

How many nassarius snails per gallon is appropriate?

Nassarius snails are some of the best saltwater aquarium cleaners. While they are small creatures, they have a big appetite for uneaten food, detritus and fish waste. They like to burrow into substrate, so make sure you have a sand bed before putting them in your aquarium. When they are buried in the sand, you can usually see the tip of their shell’s siphon poking out. 

There are no set rules for the number of snails in your habitat, but a general guideline is one to two snails per every 5 gallons. Our Pet Care Center aquatic specialists can help you determine the finer points of your cleanup crew. 

Do I need trochus snails in my cleanup crew?

Trochus snails are another common member of snail cleanup crews. With attractive shells, they add ornamental qualities to many aquariums. They typically feed mostly on algae and cyanobacteria. Another reason to consider trochus snails is their longevity. The trochus snail lifespan can be up to15 years or longer. 
 
A good guideline is to have between one and five trochus snails per gallon. The intensity of the algal buildup and your desired cleanup speed will help you determine how many trochus snails you need. 

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