#10. Cleaner Shrimp

are both entertaining to observe and useful in a reef aquarium. They can be

seen cleaning parasites off of fish, which is important in a reef tank where medicating is difficult.

#9. Emerald Crabs

are great when that pesky hair algae takes over. They do a great job picking the

algae out from between corals that can be difficult to get out manually.

#8. Sexy Shrimp

are just fun to watch. They will host an anemone and ‘dance’ by wiggling their

tails. It’s especially cool if there’s a whole group in one anemone.

#7. Banded Coral Shrimp

are another purely ornamental reef critter. They usually hide a lot but

their long claws make them a very interesting tank mate and they also come in gold and blue.

#6. Trochus Snails

are a very useful part of any clean-up crew. They do a great job cleaning algae

off the glass, keeping the aquarium looking tidier for longer.

#5. Scarlet Leg Hermit

– another great clean-up crew member. They’re great for picking algae and

detritus that collects on live rock.

#4. Nassarius Snails

are a helpful part of your clean-up crew that you’ll probably never see. They

burrow under the sand and keep it moving to prevent algae and cyanobacteria from forming on

the sand bed.

#3. Sand Sifting Starfish

are an alternative to the nassarius snails. They also burrow under the sand

and move it around, plus they’ll feed on detritus in the sand bed.

#2. Tuxedo Urchins

are another option for cleaning up hair algae. They’re a cool alternative to

emerald crabs and are fun to watch crawl across the reef.

#1. Tigertail Sea Cucumbers

are excellent detritivores, cleaning up left-over food in tough to reach

places. They are also very unique looking and make an entertaining addition to any reef tank.