Looking For A Unique CUC

[dra6on451]

Hi All

I'm new to the saltwater game and looking to setup a 30g or 16g rimless in my office. Since many of my clients are going to be looking at my tank I need the tank to be as diverse as possible. I noticed that every post on CUCs have the same 5 critters. My main issue is that of the 5 critters 3 are snails and they require many of them. Is there a possible combinations that contain abalone, chiton, conch, limpet, and urchins? And are there any other inverts that I might have over looked that would make a great addition to crew? I know the fish steal the spot light so I want to give the inverts in my tank a little love and make them a real focal point in my tank.

[Rollermonkey]

Welcome to Nano-Reef!

 

Conch and Abalone get VERY large. That would pose a problem if they can't climb your glass. I have a 1 foot long conch shell in my living room. I've been served abalone that were over 6 inches long at a restaurant. That would eventually become a problem in a 16g.

 

 

John at Reefcleaners has chitons and limpets that he'll include in a crew recommendation if you want them.

 

Urchins are also out there, but I believe several are not considered reef safe. Research would be key there.

 

I'd suspect that the snails and crabs that are used have been decided upon because they work. The species used eat what we want gone instead of the stuff that we're trying to keep. (Most of the time.)

[dra6on451]

I need to correct my post:

 

It will be a 30g tank with zoas and similar soft corals and a clam in the future. The 16g option was if the 30 was too big but if it is I'm going to bring it home and use the same setup. lol

 

I saw on a couple websites that said you can have in a 30g tank:

Abalone, Tropical (Haliotis sp.)

Fighting Conch (Strombus spp.)

Blue or Red Tuxedo Urchin (Mespilia globulus)

Chiton (I don't know exactly which)

 

The issue for me is that I want to substitute some of the 30 or so snails on my cuc list with these much cooler inverts if possible. I dont want to add them to a tank with a full cuc and have them competing for algae scraps if possible.

 

Also please let me know if I'm missing any other cool inverts for my tank. Like I said fish will be secondary here with the focus on the corals and inverts. Honestly I'm just looking at some Black and White Clown Fish.

 

Side note: does anyone have any problems keeping a Pom Pom Crab (Lybia sp.) with these inverts or corals? I see many websites say to use caution but I think it would be more of a yes or no question when it comes to them in a nano reef.

[the_gats]

I have 2 tiger conches and a halloween urchin in my 40b. I don't know if it is smart or not to add them to a non established tank, but I think they are a cool part of my CUC.

[Rollermonkey]

Again, try PM'ing your question to John from Reef Cleaners.

 

He's like the #1 go-to-guy for CUCs around these parts.

 

I'm getting mine from him as soon as my tank is through the cycle and I'm getting limpets and chitons in my mix.

[mbonus]

The biggest issue I see with your selection is the hardiness of the animals. All of those would be fine as clean up crews in a mature tank, but not so much in a new tank.

 

- tuxedo urchin - needs lots of algae to thrive - coralline or other

- chinton - needs low nitrate levels - low as in less than 5

- conches - there is a tongan fighting conch that will stay small, but again needs a lot of algae to thrive or it will starve

- ringed cowrie - very cool guys, but again consume a lot of algae, plus mine only comes out at night so that defeats your initial design criteria

 

 

My advice: keep it simple, your clients will probably glance at the tank and say "neat", and then focus on business.

[Reefmaster1996]

The biggest issue I see with your selection is the hardiness of the animals. All of those would be fine as clean up crews in a mature tank, but not so much in a new tank.

 

- tuxedo urchin - needs lots of algae to thrive - coralline or other

- chinton - needs low nitrate levels - low as in less than 5

- conches - there is a tongan fighting conch that will stay small, but again needs a lot of algae to thrive or it will starve

- ringed cowrie - very cool guys, but again consume a lot of algae, plus mine only comes out at night so that defeats your initial design criteria

 

 

My advice: keep it simple, your clients will probably glance at the tank and say "neat", and then focus on business.

Something really neat would be if you aslo get a goby /pistol shrimp pair, now that is almost as neat as it gets.

[dra6on451]

Something really neat would be if you aslo get a goby /pistol shrimp pair, now that is almost as neat as it gets.

I'm totally new to the whole game. What does the goby/pistol shrimp combo do? And are there any inverts that I should just stay away from entirely since I plan on having zoas and mushrooms and other sensitive inverts like clams?

[mbonus]

I'm totally new to the whole game. What does the goby/pistol shrimp combo do? And are there any inverts that I should just stay away from entirely since I plan on having zoas and mushrooms and other sensitive inverts like clams?

 

For sensitive inverts water quality is going to be your biggest concern. If you are new to the whole saltwater game, start simple and slowly. Do the cycle properly and slowly. Lots of info in the beginners section.

 

Goby/Pistols are just an interesting commensurate pair; tons of info on google about it. However, my pair always hid, only coming out during feeding time.

[Reefmaster1996]

For sensitive inverts water quality is going to be your biggest concern. If you are new to the whole saltwater game, start simple and slowly. Do the cycle properly and slowly. Lots of info in the beginners section.

 

Goby/Pistols are just an interesting commensurate pair; tons of info on google about it. However, my pair always hid, only coming out during feeding time.

Yeah I don't RECCOMEND corals until the tank is at least 4 months old and until you steady water quality. Look up yellow watchmen goby and pistol shrimp on YouTube you will see what I'm talking about.