Some critters spend all of their time sifting through sand, looking for food. Rock and Glass Cleaners spend their time browsing for algae on the aquarium walls and rocks, preferring to avoid the substrate. Reef Safe Algae Eaters do it without destroying your corals and other tank inhabitants.
1. Hermit Crabs
L. Yarbray
These Hermit Crab species survive almost solely on a diet of algae and detritus. They spend all of their time crawling over the rocks and substrate in your tank. Being smaller in size, they won't rearrange your tank's "furniture."
- Dwarf Blue Leg Hermit Crab (Clibanarius tricolor)
- Dwarf Red Tip Hermit Crab (Clibanarius sp.)
- Dwarf Yellow Tip Hermit Crab (Clibanarius sp.)
- Dwarf Zebra Hermit Crab (Calcinus laevimanus)
- Electric Blue Hermit Crab (Calcinus elegans)
- Electric Orange Hermit Crab (Calcinus sp.)
- Halloween Hermit Crab (Ciliopagurus strigatus)
- Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab (Paguristes cadenati)
2. Snails
Keoki Stender
Some species of snails can not turn themselves over if they fall on their backs. These species greatly prefer to spend their time on the rocks and glass in your tank, rather than the substrate. The species below are this type of snail and are herbivores to boot. They will do a great job of cleaning your live rock and tank glass.
3. Blennies
P. Welker
These Blennies are herbivores and will spend all of their time eating the algae on your live rock and tank glass.
4. Tangs & Surgeonfish
John Di Genua
Surgeonfish make great reef tank glass and rock cleaners. Being herbivores, they eat only algae, leaving your corals alone. The size to which some tangs grow may cause a problem in smaller tanks in the future.
- Pacific Blue Tang (Paracanthurus hepatus)
- Blonde Naso Tang (Naso lituratus)
- Red Sea Sailfin Tang (Zebrasoma desjardinii)
- Clown Surgeonfish (Acanthurus lineatus)
- Purple Tang (Zebrasoma xanthurum)
- Chevron Tang (Ctenochaetus hawaiiensis)
- Convict Tang (Acanthurus triostegus)
- Kole Tang (Ctenochaetus strigosus)
- Goldrim Tang (Acanthurus nigricans)
- Orangebar Tang (Acanthurus olivaceus)
- Powder Blue Tang (Acanthurus leucosternon)
- Yellow Tang (Zebrasoma flavescens)
