something other than a crab

[michon]

What would work best in a FO tank to help control algea? I do not like crabs (I had one that became very large and ate over $100 in fish before I figured it out!) I have read that the bumble bee snail and the cerith snail (the later more efficient) to help control algea growth. Anyone know about these?
thanks for your input:)
Shannon

They would be for my new tank:
135g fo
6"DSB
up for just over a month
box fish
yellow tang
green chromis

[MalHavoc]

It may depend on the kind of fish you want to keep. Some fish, like puffer fish, might harass invertibrates like snails, starfish, or cucumbers.

I don't have a FO tank, but I've had good luck with astrea snails, bumblebee snails (they tend to stay mostly in the sand), cucumbers (although they can cause problems with a tank if they are stressed or die, especially the brightly coloured ones), sea urchins (although they can knock rock over if it's not really anchored well).

My tank currently has a mix of scarlet hermit crabs, astrea snails, bumblebee snails, varigated sea urchins, and a big old 5-toothed sea cucumber. Doing a great job.