cleanup crew

[pbryant33]

I have 7 candy cane shrimp in my 75 gallon tank. I bought 4 snails yesterday and plan to add 4 more to deal with the red algae bloom in my 4 month old tank. Do snails really clean the algae? and my shrimp don't seem to clean anything! they seem to only forage for food. I guess those skunk cleaner shrimp are the only shrimp who actually clean. And what would starfish do for me? and do they need special lighting.

 

[sgould]

Snails do eat algae, yes. Although you probably need quite a few more for a 75 gallon tank. Starfish help keep the substrate clean, eating detritus. There are also sand sifting stars that actually dig into the substrate, which helps keep it oxygenated. I wanted one, but alas, my tank is too small. :-[