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Cleanup Crews - Quick Reference Guide
Last updated on November 17th, 2023
Reef Aquarium Cleanup Crew Cheat Sheet
A cleanup crew, also known as a "CUC", refers to the fish and invertebrates in charge of cleaning up excess food, algae or other neucenses in your reef. This article provides a quick reference on which creatures are best for this kind of work.
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As a supplement to a previous article, "Cleanup Crews - Not Just for invertebrates Anymore", I am providing a simplified Quick Reference guide, or Cheat Sheet, to quickly determine which fish or invertebrates are ideal for different pests and nuisance algae. Please share on all social media networks and to any groups you feel would benefit.
Saltwater Utilitarian Fish That Eat Pests and Algae
| Aiptasia | Hair Algae | Bristleworms | Flatworms | Montipora and Zoa Eating Nudibranchs | |
| Butterfly Fish | X | ||||
| Spotted Scat | X | X | |||
| Matted Filefish | X | ||||
| Lawnmower Blenny | X | ||||
| Rabbitfish / Foxface | X | ||||
| Bristletooth Tangs | X | ||||
| Six Line and Melanurus Wrasse | X | X | X | ||
| Dottyback | X | ||||
| Goatfish | X |
Though not as commonly talked about, if you are looking for a saltwater fish that eats Acropora Red Bugs, some reefers have had luck with the Dragonface Pipe Fish. If you are looking for a fish to help sift sand and help with detritus, you should look toward sand sifting gobbies.
Saltwater invertebrates That Eat Pests and Algae
| Aiptasia | Hair Algae | Bubble Algae | Bristleworms | Detritus | |
| Peppermint Shrimp | X | X | |||
| Berghia Nudibranch | X | ||||
| Mexican Turbo Snails | X | ||||
| Emerald Crab | X | X | |||
| Arrow Crab | X | X | |||
| Coral Banded Shrimp | Maybe | X | |||
| Cleaner Shrimp | X | ||||
| Sand Sifting Starfish | X | ||||
| Sally Lightfoot Crab | X | ||||
| Horseshoe Crab | X | ||||
| Hermit Crabs | X | ||||
| Nassarius Snails | X |
For more information, check out: "Cleanup Crews - Not Just for invertebrates Anymore"
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If this article was helpful to you, please share it and help someone else that is looking for help selecting the best cleanup crew for their reef aquarium!
About the Author
John Krenzer
John is a Software Engineer with a passion for saltwater aquariums, as well as the founder and president of Reef Stable. He started in the aquarium hobby as a child with a 20 gallon freshwater aquarium. His interest in aquarium life grew and in 2008, John set up his first saltwater aquarium.
Today, John maintains an over 300 gallon reef tank system, consisting of a 120g reef and a 210g reef. These large tanks are contained within the same system, sharing a sump as a means to reduce total maintenance and increase total water volume.
John writes articles for the blog as a means to learn about more reef aquarium topics. These articles act as a reference for the readers as well as himself. John updates these articles frequently to provide additional information or make corrections as new information becomes available.
If you would like to request an article, tank tour article, or to collaborate, let me know via the Contact Me Page!
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