detritus clean up crew

Ok so I have had a porcupine pufferfish for a while now and he is a messy messy fish. I am trying to see if anyone knows a good clean up crew to clean up after him. I obviously do vacuum the substrate and do water changes often but I am just looking for some type of invertebrate that can keep up a little better in between these cleanings.

 

That's a tough one. Puffers are not considered reef safe due to their appetitie for inverts, this includes snails and shrimp. The only thing I can think of would be sea-cucumbers, maybe

I found the following on our fishlore profile for them (https://www.fishlore.com/profile-porcupinepuffer.htm)

From: Boxermom
Porcupine puffers get closer to 18". They have four teeth fused into two plates, one upper and one lower. Because their teeth continue to grow constantly throughout their lives, they require hard shelled foods such as mussels and clams in order to keep their teeth from overgrowing. If they do not get adequate amounts, their teeth will have to be manually filed down. If properly cared for, their life span is closer to 12-15 years. They are, sadly, highly prone to lock jaw. Treatment can often be successful however. They should be in a species-only tank. Some are compatible with other species, some aren't. Its highly dependent upon individual personalities and caution should be taken when having tankmates. Despite their appearance, they are considered to be very aggressive. pH is best between 7.6-8.2.

Sorry I can't be more help, but it's a difficult one to answer.

 

yeah and that is my problem. I have bought hermit crabs to try and help out now about 4 times, and the multipe types of shrimp and snails. He has ate everything except the peppermint shrimp. It takes a while for him to go through everything but I am getting sick of buying over and over and looking to buy something different.

 

Just been doing some research.... it appears that just about everything is a potential nom nom nom for a puffer. Urchins, cucumbers, snails, shrimp, hermits....

General consensus out there is if it doesn't have a spine, it's potential dinner for a puffer.

There was mention of sea-slugs, and possibly starfish being ok - but it comes down to the individual puffer.

As a different approach - could you breed snails in your sump/fuge (if you have one) - that way you've got a sustainable population, and cleaners as well.

 

With the tank I got it doesn't have any place for a sump. I have been really considering building another tank for this reason. I currently have a bowfront on a stand and there just isn't anywhere for a sump or refugium to go. I have been debating on building either a glass or acrylic, although acrylic seems to be a lot more money than a glass to build, but haven't quite decided. Just a question but would a sump really help with detritus on my substrate.

 

Just a question but would a sump really help with detritus on my substrate.

Nope, it wouldn't help... sorry. [IMO, but I might be wrong]

Sumps are typically fed water by water overflowing into a weir from the surface of the DT over the weir.

 

yeah that's the way I understood them as well because I have seen multiple setups however I have not done one yet myself.