Clean Up Crew for Figure 8 Puffers?

[DTC512]

Hey guys, 

 

Do you have any clean-up crew recos for a brakish tank with three figure 8 puffers? Seems like anything I drop in there gets picked off pretty quickly. 

 

Thanks for any help! 

 

[Colu]

[Biotope Biologist]

I have my brackish water tank planned out to include nerite snails in the refugium, because the puffers will eat everybody. I would also grab some marine benthic macro invertebrates and annelids they can live in the sand and keep it moving and clean. Although my tank is just in planning stages so I'm just going off other's experiences. 

 

I plan to breed figure 8s in a mangrove biotope with freshwater inputs 🙂

[Patrick_G]

On 7/21/2021 at 10:15 AM, Biotope Biologist said:

I have my brackish water tank planned out to include nerite snails in the refugium, because the puffers will eat everybody. I would also grab some marine benthic macro invertebrates and annelids they can live in the sand and keep it moving and clean. Although my tank is just in planning stages so I'm just going off other's experiences. 

 

I plan to breed figure 8s in a mangrove biotope with freshwater inputs 🙂

Can you comment on macro algae in this type of tank? I’d like set one up but I’d really like some greenery. 

Edited July 21, 2021 by Patrick_G

[Biotope Biologist]

On 7/21/2021 at 10:21 AM, Patrick_G said:

Can you comment on macro algae in this type of tank? I’d like set on up but I’d really like some greenery. 

According to my research the only macro algae that will tolerate below a 1.018 SG is chaeto algae. I kind of struggled to find any greenery I could keep in brackish water period. I know vallisneria isn't picky and if you keep a low brackish setup like 1.003-1.008 quite a few freshwater plants will tolerate it.

[DTC512]

Thank's for your replies! Greatly appreciate you guys. Ended up adding 4 bumblebee gobies, a ton of scuds, and a large blue crawfish (yup, it has protected itself so successfully the puffers have decided to leave it alone). Aside from some scuds that get eaten (which is prime), all seems harmonious. 

 

Thanks again all.