Please recommend CUC or analyze my wish list

[Canadianeh]

My tank is at the end of its cycling stage and I have diatoms on my rocks.

Can you please recommend CUC for me, or give me opinion of my list?

I have 40 gallons IM Fusion 40 with 3 inches live sandbed and about 30-40 lbs of marco dry rocks. Please consider water displacement. It is going to be reef tank with mainly corals and some fishes.

Here is my wish list of CUC:
Beginning stage
5 Nassarius Snail
5 astrea snail
2 Red-legged hermit crab
2 peppermint shrimps/cleaner shrimps

After I add more fishes:
4 sexy shrimps
1 porcelain crab
1 emerald crab
4 pom pom crabs

[asting]

That's a lot of crabs. I would skip the peppermint shrimp. They don't actually help. Some turbo's would be good too. Reefcleaners is commonly recommended, but my last order was 80% DOA and the remaining snails just hang on the glass in the corner trying to escape.

[Clown79]

As a new tank you will not need that much, there isn't enough in the tank for them to survive on which will lead to death- which will cause others issues like increased nutrients and or possibly a spike in ammonia.

 

Most cuc don't really touch diatoms, diatoms get exhausted when their food source is gone.

 

Literally a few turbos, a couple astrea and a few hermits to start. Add as the tank matures and needs more cleaners.

 

I agree, thats a lot of crabs in the tank regardless of maturity of tank.

 

Peppermint shrimp are a waste in my experience as well. Never did anything in my 55g besides tick off corals and in my 15g they decemated 3 brains.

 

Cuc is meant to aid in keeping the tank cleaner but you can't avoid algae all together, algae is a natural aspect of reefs and as well in tanks.

[Canadianeh]

As a new tank you will not need that much, there isn't enough in the tank for them to survive on which will lead to death- which will cause others issues like increased nutrients and or possibly a spike in ammonia.

 

Most cuc don't really touch diatoms, diatoms get exhausted when their food source is gone.

 

Literally a few turbos, a couple astrea and a few hermits to start. Add as the tank matures and needs more cleaners.

 

I agree, thats a lot of crabs in the tank regardless of maturity of tank.

 

Peppermint shrimp are a waste in my experience as well. Never did anything in my 55g besides tick off corals and in my 15g they decemated 3 brains.

 

Cuc is meant to aid in keeping the tank cleaner but you can't avoid algae all together, algae is a natural aspect of reefs and as well in tanks.

 

 

Ok how about:

5 Nassarius Snail

3 Red-legged hermit crab

2 cleaner shrimps

[Kyl]

I would get some trochus snails, workhorse of the tank and won't fall prey to hermits easily like everything else.

[tetraodon]

My tank is at the end of its cycling stage and I have diatoms on my rocks.

 

Can you please recommend CUC for me, or give me opinion of my list?

 

I have 40 gallons IM Fusion 40 with 3 inches live sandbed and about 30-40 lbs of marco dry rocks. Please consider water displacement. It is going to be reef tank with mainly corals and some fishes.

 

Here is my wish list of CUC:

Beginning stage

5 Nassarius Snail

5 astrea snail

2 Red-legged hermit crab

2 peppermint shrimps/cleaner shrimps

 

After I add more fishes:

4 sexy shrimps

1 porcelain crab

1 emerald crab

4 pom pom crabs

drop the sexy shrimp, in a 40 gallon they will be lost, and most likely fish food. nassarius snails are more carvnivorus, so only a couple of those, add more astras and turbos. get yourself some fighting conchs great snail, but make sure you add CUC after the tank is done cycling,

[Clown79]

I would wait on the nassarius and thr conches until you have added fish. There really isn't anything for thrm to eat in the substrate.

 

I would definitely stick with turbos and trochus, spiny star astreas

[Canadianeh]

how about:

5 spiny star astrea snail

5 trochus snail

2 Red-legged hermit crab

2 cleaner shrimps

[Clown79]

Cleaner shrimp shouldn't be added right away. They are very sensitive. I would wait till the tank is more stable.

 

Do you think you need 10 snails to start?

[Canadianeh]

Cleaner shrimp shouldn't be added right away. They are very sensitive. I would wait till the tank is more stable.

 

Do you think you need 10 snails to start?

I guess I don't??

[Nomoreammo]

There is no harm in starting off with less livestock. To give you an idea, I added 3 hermits and 2 snails to my 5 gallon tank.

 

All are still alive.

 

5 snails and 3 hermits sounds like a good start for you.

[fishfreak0114]

Good advice so far, I agree that it's better to start small because you can always add more later.

[Clown79]

I added 2 snails and 2 hermits to start.

[asting]

Cleaner shrimp aren't a typical part of a clean up crew, by the way. Their name is misleading.

[Clown79]

True. The shrimp are called cleaners because they clean fish. They only go after food that land on things, otherwise they don't clean algae or detritus

[Canadianeh]

how about:

1 blue legged hermit crabs

1 Halloween Hermit Crabs Trizopagurus strigatus

1 pink turban snail

1 strawberry conch snail

1 orange zebra starfish

[Groot]

_{Get a pleco good at eating alga.}

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_JK

[ajmckay]

You may be overthinking this... with CUC my advice is to keep it simple. Common snails should the primary component (turbo, trochus, astrea, cerith, nerite, & nassarius - sparingly). Add crabs with discretion.

 

I would wait on exotic snails, crabs and definitely starfish until your tank has matured more and you get a feel for what you like.

[Canadianeh]

you think so? I don't know.

how about this list? Is it okay? Pretty basic if I exclude starfish?

2x Halloween Hermit Crabs Trizopagurus strigatus

2x Blue Legs hermit crab

2x Astrea snails

2x Spiney Pacific Turbo snails

2x Tectus snail Tectus fenestratus snails

2x Nassarius Vibex Nassarius snails

 

Any of those snails are Trochus snails?

[Clown79]

Yes.

 

You are starting off with more than you can provide food for. Its a new tank, theres not much for them to eat. If they die, you're looking at a possible spike in cycle and nutrient issues.

 

Most start out with a few (3-5) hermits and 2-3 snails.

 

Conches need alot of food-new tanks don't have this.

 

Starfish need mature tanks as they are voracious eaters. They also don't handle instability well, in a new tank instability is experienced.

 

I'd stick to a few trochus and a few hermits.

[Canadianeh]

Yes.

 

You are starting off with more than you can provide food for. Its a new tank, theres not much for them to eat. If they die, you're looking at a possible spike in cycle and nutrient issues.

 

Most start out with a few (3-5) hermits and 2-3 snails.

 

Conches need alot of food-new tanks don't have this.

 

Starfish need mature tanks as they are voracious eaters. They also don't handle instability well, in a new tank instability is experienced.

 

I'd stick to a few trochus and a few hermits.

I will not be getting the conches and startfish. Just the snails and the hermits.

 

I have some dry seaweed foods ready as well.

[ajmckay]

 

you think so? I don't know.

how about this list? Is it okay? Pretty basic if I exclude starfish?

2x Halloween Hermit Crabs Trizopagurus strigatus

2x Blue Legs hermit crab

2x Astrea snails

2x Spiney Pacific Turbo snails

2x Tectus snail Tectus fenestratus snails

2x Nassarius Vibex Nassarius snails

 

Any of those snails are Trochus snails?

 

 

Yes that list looks fine except you might want to only do 1 Halloween hermit unless you overfeed quite a bit.

 

Re-evaluate after a few months (or if you have a reason to need more before that) and if needed add more, but only a few at a time.

[Canadianeh]

I also changed my mind on the blue legged hermit crabs. I thought I was getting the electric blue one.

 

So this is the revised list:

2x Halloween Hermit Crabs Trizopagurus strigatus

2x Astrea snails

2x Spiney Pacific Turbo snails

2x Tectus snail Tectus fenestratus snails

2x Nassarius Vibex Nassarius snails

 

I also have 1 Xenia frag and 1 black and white clownfish in my QT tank that will be going to DT together with the CUC crew.

 

I am also thinking of ordering a purple firefish, cardinal bangai, and yellow watchman and put them all three in my 10 gallons QT tank for few weeks before adding them to the DT.

 

I am still hunting for ocellaris orange and white clown to be added in the future to accompany the black and white.

[Clown79]

You don't want to add too much livestock too quickly after a cycle. The system may not be able to handle it.

[Canadianeh]

I ended up getting 3 trochus and 3 margarita snails. I will get 3 Astrea snails to clean my sands. I believe they like to burrow themselves in sand