# Best Invert Clean up Crew?



## M1ster Stanl3y

What is the best clean up crew? Crabs, Shrimp, Crayfish? or do i just go for a pleco.


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## Gizmo

Honestly, I've found the best cleanup crew is an assortment of multiple species. I currently run ~20 RCS, 5 Amano shrimp, 1 pleco, and 1 snail.

Different critters will eat different things. Some eat algae, others eat only a few types of algae (yes, there are several types), others only eat fish waste. And on top of that, some will eat everything, but are so delicate they're next to impossible to keep. Here's my take on things:

Shrimp: Best single species, if you ask me. They will eat 2 of the 3 kinds of algae out there (hair algae, and the green stuff that grows on your tank walls). They will eat waste off the bottom as well. They stay small and are very docile and you can cram a ton into a single tank. The problems with them are that they become food for many types of fish, and every fish loves shrimp babies. They are also very delicate.

Crabs: Ravenous scavengers. They will eat everything they can get their pincers onto, including all forms of algae, fish waste, plants, and even fish if they can catch them. Great eye candy and terrific entertainment, and in my opinion the best cleaners, if somewhat overzealous. The downside to these critters is they make horrible tank mates with anything but themselves, and they are escape artists. They will climb up and out on even the simplest things like the silicone in the corner of the tank.

Plecos: Best tank wall cleaners out there. They LOVE the algae that grows on tank walls and do fast work on that stuff. Some will also eat fish waste. They are also exceedingly docile. Their drawbacks are they only eat one type of algae and they get BIG fast.

Snails: Great tank wall cleaners as well, if you have the patience. Docile simply by nature. Downsides are they're boring, they take forever, they have a million babies, and of course they only eat one type of algae (the same as plecos).

There are also otos and catfish out there, and I'm sorry to say I have little experience with these, but you can find out more from many other hobbyists on here.

Note: The 3 kinds of algae I know of are hair algae (tenacious), green wall algae (abundant and tasty), and floating algae (green water, quite a unique experience).


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## mfgann

I've had most types of cleaners over many years, and I must say I think the shrimp are the best. The red cherry shrimp and ghost shrimp aren't too delicate, though you do have to be careful about meds, salt, and fertilizers. They are a very low bio-load (10 shrimp per gallon) and are constantly working to clean the tank. If you have a little tank with no fish you can breed them like crazy, and use the overflow to stock your main tank. A little 2.5G tank can effectively house about 25 shrimp. If you want shrimp, I highly recommend a lot of plants though. Not only do they need the cover to hide, but they eat microorganisms off the plant. 

This time I put otos in my tanks as well, and I haven't had any algae.. not sure if that is because I haven't had algae at all or if otos just ate it all. They're like little mini plecos. On that note, I loved my pleco years back. Good little algae eater that liked to be petted. Get a bristle-nose pleco so it stays smaller if you get one.

Lastly.. lots of people love corys, and they clean and root around the gravel all day. I just never cared for them. I think mainly because as a kid my parents had the albino variety, and I disliked that. If you like them, they're great for keeping leftover food cleaned up.

If you get plants, you will get snails for free. My recommendation is to get some Malaysian Trumpet Snails somehow (fish store gave them to me, since they just kill any they find) and get a group of them started before adding plants, so other varieties have to fight harder to get established. MTS hide in gravel/sand during the day, clean well, and don't hurt plants. Plus they're livebearers so there are no snail eggs to deal with.
Or you could get an assassin snail to eat the others. 

I'm biased toward the shrimp because they're my new favorite, but they're dead simple, and fun to watch.


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## M1ster Stanl3y

so ghost shrimp can be a 10:1g mix...i just picked up 10 for $2 today...my Chinese algae eater got a different tank so i needed a new clean up crew...my angel fish picked chase them and make them just out of the tank...anyway to keep my jumping shrimp in the tank and not stuck to the side...


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## snail

I think they are going to get eaten, try giving them plenty of hiding places and they might last longer. What fish do you have and what size is your tank? For me it always depends what my fish won't eat, shrimp are a problem that way, but I love them. Nerite snails are very good for algae and you won't get babies. No one should keep a common pleco just for clean up, they get way too big. There are other plecos that are not so big though.


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