Blue Leg Hermit Crabs

These are great little scavengers. They will eat both algae and meaty foods and have been known to attack snails when they need to move into a bigger shell. We keep ours with snails and plenty of empty shells for upgrading and rarely have a problem with them killing the snails. When used in conjunction with astrea/turbo snails they really do a number on long hair algae. They'll crop it down low enough to let the snails make sure it doesn't come back.

Emerald Crabs

These are hardy little crabs. They are known for eating bubble algae as well as other nuisance algaes. They will eat both algaes and meaty foods and supplemental feeding should be offered once the algae is gone. They are shy and may only be seen towards the end of the day in subdued lighting.

Scarlet Hermit Crabs

These are much like the blue leg hermits but these are considered to be much more docile. Very few reports of these killing snails to move into their shells. The scarlets we have in are usually the same size or larger than the snails anyway. Great scavengers.

Nassarius Snails

These are amazing little scavengers. They do not eat algae but they do eat meaty foods. They remain buried just under the surface of the sand. As soon as they recognize that food has entered the tank they uncover themselves and make a beeline for the food. Definitely a cool addition to your reef.

Bumble Bee Snails

These are much like the nassarius above. People have said they believed them to also prey on snails but I have yet to find that happen here or to anyone I know first hand. Seems to always be I heard from someone who knows someone....

Cerith Snails

These snails stay small and often readily breed successfully. The only ones we have are captive bred ones that have spawned and grown in our own systems. They frequently burrow into the sand getting the algae on the glass just under your sand bed and can get into lots of small places the larger snails can't reach.

Peppermint Shrimp

Known best for their diet of aiptasia anemones. They don't always eat them but often do. They can easily be confused with camel shrimp which are not considered reef safe. Any two will form a pair and breed providing your reef with lots of natural food.

Brittle Star

These are reef safe stars. They will stay hidden most of the time during daylight hours with only their arms visible. They are great for cleaning up leftover food after feedings.

Serpent Star

These are reef safe stars. They will stay hidden most of the time during daylight hours with only their arms visible. They are great for cleaning up leftover food after feedings.

Nerite Snails

These snails do not grow very large but eat tons of algae. They may crawl above the water line of your tank as they often become exposed in the wild during low tide.

Lettuce Nudibranch - Elysia crispata

These nudibranches are highly specialized feeders of green hair type algaes. They are best known for their taste for bryopsis and are a good tool for it's control provided they are not blown around wildly by powerheads where they usually end up taking a fatal ride through. Care should be taken to keep them out of pump intakes. These are partly photosynthetic using the chloroplasts from the algae they consume. These are not a regular stock item simply because we do not have sufficient hair algae to keep them alive. They can however be ordered in with little lead time.

Porcelain Crab - Petrolisthes

Some porcelain crabs are commensals on anemones but these from the Carribean mostly live under rocks. They eat both scraps of food which they scavenge as well as using "feather" appendages to filter feed from the water column.

Sand Sifting Cucumber - Holothuria floridana

These interesting looking critters ingest substrate from your reef tank and clean it of detritius and bacteria. The end result is a small, clean sand pellet. Some cukes have the potential to kill itself and tank mates with a toxin it emits when harassed. The more ornately colored the cuke, the more powerful the toxin. The toxins within this kind are relatively harmless in all but the smallest tanks but they should still not be housed with more agressive mates.

Sally Light Foot Crab - Percnon gibbesi

Another crab which will help battle your algae. They will also accept meaty foods if offered and this should supplement their diet should the algae be consumed completely.

Mexican Turbo Snail - Turbo sp.

These snails grow quite large and have an appetite to match. They move quickly and consume lots of algae on the way. Their diet can be supplemented with nori sheets should all the algae be consumed.

Queen Conch - Strombus gigas

These conch are aquacultured and their care requirements are much like fighting conch. They have a bigger appetite than fighting conch, but along with this goes a much larger adult size. These like a sandy substrate where they can burrow in the top layer when they feel like it. They also venture onto the rock work and glass more often than fighting conch.

Cleaner Shrimp - Lysmata amboinensis

These shrimp are known to clean dead scales and parasites from other fish and often set up a cleaning station where other inhabitants know they can go to get a cleaning. These shrimp can often be found upside down in a cave or crevice swaying back and forth as if saying open for business. Any two skunk cleaners form a pair and will breed often providing your tank with beneficial food that your corals and other critters will love.

Red Lip Blenny - Ophioblennius atlanticus

These fish have huge character. They will accept all types of marine fare as well as eating algae from the glass and rocks. They may act aggressively to others of the same species sharing a tank.

Tiger Serpent Star - Ophiolepsis superba

Beautiful stars which will help keep the sandbed turned over and scavenge up remaining foods fed to the tank. Sensitive to changes in specific gravity.

Zebra Hermit - Calcinus laevimanus

Very cool looking hermit crabs. Eats all sorts of algae. Also known as left handed crabs because of their enlarged left claw.

Spotted Hermit Crab - Dardanus megistos

These are beautiful hermits with lots of personality and character. They are NOT reef safe. They can grow to 6 inches in size and need to be housed in a fish only system with active, aware fish. The shell size of this one is just a little smaller than baseball size.

Blue Knee Hermit - Dardanus guttatus
These are beautiful hermits with lots of personality and character. They are NOT reef safe. They can grow to 6 inches in size and need to be housed in a fish only system with active, aware fish. This one is what looks like a conch shell and it's 6 inches wide!!

Tri-Color Hermit
Small reef safe hermit. Cool color pattern.

Tongan Cerith Snail

Great little snails for getting into tight spaces. Ventures into the sand bed as well.

Black Cucumber - Holothuria atra

These interesting looking critters ingest substrate from your reef tank and clean it of detritius and bacteria. The end result is a small, clean sand pellet. Some cukes have the potential to kill itself and tank mates with a toxin it emits when harassed. The more ornately colored the cuke, the more powerful the toxin. The toxins within this kind are relatively harmless in all but the smallest tanks but they should still not be housed with more agressive mates.

Tiger Tail Cucumber - Holothuria hilla

These interesting looking critters ingest substrate from your reef tank and clean it of detritius and bacteria. The end result is a small, clean sand pellet. Some cukes have the potential to kill itself and tank mates with a toxin it emits when harassed. The more ornately colored the cuke, the more powerful the toxin. The toxins within this kind are relatively harmless in all but the smallest tanks but they should still not be housed with more agressive mates.

Burgundy Star - Tamaria sp.

Hardy stars which are reef safe and eat micro algae from the live rock in reef tanks. Very sensitive to changes in SG so care must be taken with acclimation.

King Hermit - Clibanarius sp.

These are reef safe hermits which are about an inch or larger right now.