CUC Reccomendations

[sneaks03]

I currently have a 55g tank with LR, no corals or nems yet. I am doing some planning as to what i want my CUC to consist of. I currently have 6 dwarf blue hermits, and 1 mexican turbo snail. Some feather dusters have managed to make their way into the tank as well on the LR. Any recommendations on what other creatures I should add to my CUC, now or later?

 

[TylerHaworth]

Snails, and lots of em!

Ceriths, Nerites, Nassarius!

 

[sneaks03]

Ok so snails are definitely on my list, anything else?

 

[TylerHaworth]

That's really all I have in my 75... That and a fire shrimp... Everything stays pretty clean!

 

[BigAl07]

I'd go over to ReefCleaners.org | Clean Up Crews and Macro Algae - Home or visit their thread here
http://www.reefsanctuary.com/forums/reefcleaners/

Fill out the CUSTOM Clean Up Crew form and John will give you an AMAZING set of suggestions.

Allen

 

[Phreek]

10 nassarius snails, 10 cerith, cleaner shrimp, 4 astrea conehead snails (careful with these if the get knocked over they cannot right themselves). that would be my suggestion. Im not a fan of hermit crabs at all. IMO people add way to many snails than their tank actually needs. Most will end up dieing if you add an extreme amount. Also, there are certain snails advertised for sale as reef cleaners, that actually do not do well in reef paremeters long term, because they are used to cooler waters.

 

[sneaks03]

Thanks for the help everyone...Al i will definitely check out the custom cleanup crew form.

 

[redsea reefer]

I would stick to Astrea, Cerith and Nassarius snails. I would also add a cleaner shrimp too. I have a fire shrimp.

 

[sneaks03]

Would there be any advantage/disadvantage to trading my hermits in and getting some emeralds? Also, would a sea star be beneficial?

 

[lcstorc]

Sea hares are touchy. You only want to get one if you are having a hair algae issue. That is the only thing they eat and if they run out of food they will starve.

 

[fivel]

Serpent Stars are great for cleaning up uneaten food and other random dirtiness around the tank, although I would avoid the green serpent star (AKA Green Death) because of their quick growth and high probability of eating fish, shrimp and anything else it can catch. A sandsifting star will help keep the sand in your tank clean in conjunction with any type of sand-sifting goby, although you have to make sure that your sand bed is established enough to support the quantity of food they need. Hermit crabs get mixed reviews, although I still keep a couple in my tank because they are cool to watch - although they do have an eye for snail shells as their homes, so know that in advance. Having a cleaner shrimp is also a good idea because they not only clean up waste non-stop, they will also eventually clean your fish - help them get rid of potential parasites and what not.

I would definitely start small though. It's better to have a few working constantly than to have a lot starving because there's not enough algae or waste to feed them.

 

[yvr]

I really like the sand sifting and tiger tail cucumbers Holothuria hilla and Thymiosycia hilla that I have in my tank. They seem to do a great job turning up the sand and eating detritus. The brittle stars are more cryptic but go nuts during feeding time.

 

[sneaks03]

I do have the concern about adding a cleaner shrimp of some sort, I have a flame hawkfish. I have been told that it will eat a cleaner shrimp, but I was also told they would eat my hermits. So far he has not messed with the hermits or anything else. Does anyone have any experience with a Flame hawkfish and a cleaner shrimp or know anything about them. I had also looked into the cucumber idea that yvr mentioned.

 

[BigAl07]

You want to hold off on anything that is "Sand Sifting". They will quickly deplete a sand bed of micro-fauna especially in a new and or smaller tank. The Nass snails keep the sand turned over a good bit.

Most ANY hawkfish is a threat to crustaceans but the Flame has a tendancy to be more so. I've got a long-nosed hawk that hasn't ever touched the first animal in the tank and he's a MODEL citizen. He get more compliments than any other fish in the tank except "Nemo".

 

[sneaks03]

My flame hawk seems to be leaving the crabs i have in there alone for now. You think i should give the shrimp a try Al?

 

[BigAl07]

I don't know buddy. That seems like it would be an expensive "Snack" if you were wrong but honestly I'd possibly at least give it a try and hope for the best. I don't know that they bother larger crustaceans so you have a good chance of success.

 

[sneaks03]

Yeah it would be an expensive snack, but I am curious because originally he was in a tank with an arrow crab and did not mess with him at the LFS.

 

[BigAl07]

Here is some more info on this fish (provided by Flame Hawk )

Flame Hawk
Latin Name Neocirrhites armatus

The most popular of all Hawkfishes is bright red with black mascara around the eye and a black line along the back. This species will pearch in a favorite spot, occasionally roaming up to a few spots in the tank. They adapt well to aquarium life and generally learn to accept food quickly. This species is one of the least aggressive Hawkfishes, but may be aggressive toward smaller, passive fishes. Provide with structures to perch on and nooks and crannies to hide in (in nature it lives within branching coral heads).

I've read many times where they may "nip" at smaller fish, snails, feather dusters, crustaceans, and anemones.

 

[sneaks03]

So from the way i read that, a cleaner shrimp may be ok, I just would not want him in there with a neon goby.