I love this topic. I've personally found inverts in my own tank to be more effective than many "utilitarian" fish. Though having a blend of infaunal inverts with key fish species seemed to be the trick for my system, as each species has it's own niche and forage behavior. Overlapping those is what creates a wholistic approach that lowers my own work in the tank. My Tuxedo Urchin is worth triple it's weight of a Tang, and does a far superior job of eating turf algae's in my system than my tangs. So much so, I'd like two more. And that's on top of what the tangs eat. And I've had similar experiences with Trocus and Stomatella in maintaining biofilms and cutting down film on the glass. When my Trocus had a spawning event, the hundreds of juvenile snails were the best thing to ever happen to my tank (after the initial spawning and die off of larvae). Once the population found a carrying capacity for my systems surface area, Glass cleaning was drastically reduced. I went from twice a week to once every 2-3 months. While a team of Conch, Nassarius, and a Cucumber made sand bed maintenance almost a non-issue. Though for non-algal or bacterial pests, I did find fish were a more effective "general" biological control for pests like pest anemone, flatworms, or other common issues (Copperband, Wrasse's, & Dragonette). While the inverts really shine in a specific target, like the bumble bee against vermatid. But again, layering a "team" approach of different species all foraging in the same space is what really wins out for overall pest control.
My tuxedo urchin has been with me for months! He eats 0 algae except for coralline making my rock look all scratched up. My nassarius snail does nothing much for my sand. They just hide all day and only come out for food and then back to hiding. My conch snail is fantastic for the sand bed. It eats all algae on the sand and lower rocks. The way it moves and drags it's shell really helps to air the sand.
I’ve had peppermint shrimp eat a rock flower anemone. I’ve found it important to make sure enough foods gets to them when I feed so they don’t bother my corals.
Bristle rooms are the best member of the cleanup crew by far hands-down, and they're free they're population will balance itself out eventually just don't overfeed your tank. They're worth their weight and gold as far as being a member of the cleanup crew.
I love this topic. I've personally found inverts in my own tank to be more effective than many "utilitarian" fish.
Though having a blend of infaunal inverts with key fish species seemed to be the trick for my system, as each species has it's own niche and forage behavior. Overlapping those is what creates a wholistic approach that lowers my own work in the tank.
My Tuxedo Urchin is worth triple it's weight of a Tang, and does a far superior job of eating turf algae's in my system than my tangs. So much so, I'd like two more. And that's on top of what the tangs eat.
And I've had similar experiences with Trocus and Stomatella in maintaining biofilms and cutting down film on the glass. When my Trocus had a spawning event, the hundreds of juvenile snails were the best thing to ever happen to my tank (after the initial spawning and die off of larvae). Once the population found a carrying capacity for my systems surface area, Glass cleaning was drastically reduced. I went from twice a week to once every 2-3 months.
While a team of Conch, Nassarius, and a Cucumber made sand bed maintenance almost a non-issue.
Though for non-algal or bacterial pests, I did find fish were a more effective "general" biological control for pests like pest anemone, flatworms, or other common issues (Copperband, Wrasse's, & Dragonette). While the inverts really shine in a specific target, like the bumble bee against vermatid.
But again, layering a "team" approach of different species all foraging in the same space is what really wins out for overall pest control.
My tuxedo urchin has been with me for months! He eats 0 algae except for coralline making my rock look all scratched up.
My nassarius snail does nothing much for my sand. They just hide all day and only come out for food and then back to hiding.
My conch snail is fantastic for the sand bed. It eats all algae on the sand and lower rocks. The way it moves and drags it's shell really helps to air the sand.
I’ve had peppermint shrimp eat a rock flower anemone. I’ve found it important to make sure enough foods gets to them when I feed so they don’t bother my corals.
Great video
Bristle rooms are the best member of the cleanup crew by far hands-down, and they're free they're population will balance itself out eventually just don't overfeed your tank. They're worth their weight and gold as far as being a member of the cleanup crew.
I would have thought Berghia would be a better option for clearing Aiptasia providing you don't have wrasses or peppermint shrimps already
Great video and your super cute which doesn't hurt any. Thanks.
show me a video of a bumblebee snail eating a vermitid.