What is the best CUC?

[Aquatic]

Even though I don't have a tank setup and I won't have one for a little while, i'd like to get an idea on what you guys think is the best bet for adding a cleanup crew.

Can anybody tell me what kinds of snails/hermits/crabs are the best to add to a tank to get rid of algae/detritus?

i.e. Nasarrius, Ceriths, Blue Leg Hermits, etc.

Any help would be appreciated. I just want to learn more so I can better prepare myself for a future setup! Also and what's the general rule of thumb on how much to stock on a given tank size.

Thanks!

 

[Bifferwine]

I like a mix of snails -- nassarius, astraea, cerith, nerite, trochus and turbos. I don't like hermits, because they kill snails. For my tanks, emerald crabs are a must, as are peppermint and cleaner shrimp. I think one or two starfish (brittle or serpent) do a good job keeping the bottom of the tank clean.

As for how many to add, it's hard to say. Each tank is different. In my 90, I have about 5 snails. I don't really get a lot of algae in there, so I don't need a big CUC. In someone else's 90, they might need 50+ snails.

 

[Aquatic]

I was ignorant when I had my first setup before. I didn't add any snails at all. The only thing I had was a handful of emeralds, haha. I thought those things were the coolest little buggers ever.

 

[ErinCahir]

+1 on the cleaner shrimp! Mine is awesome!

 

[the reef kid]

I agree with Biff on just about everything, but I personally hate turbos, just because I prefer to buy frags than colonies, and turbos are pretty large, so they will knock my frags all over the place, even when they are held down with 3 lbs of epoxy. Other than that, I like nass, but don't get too many, and I've found astreas to do a very good job. It sort of depends on the size of the tank, what it's stocked with, and how much algae you have growing.

 

[Aquatic]

If I don't do my own custom setup which would be between 29-40g breeder, i'll probably purchace a 28 gallon JBJ HQI tank.

My idea is to get the snails when I do make a setup. I didn't have anything that stirred up the sand bed. I kind of regret it for not doing so or not having the experience to know to have them.

Thanks for the input guys, I appreciate it!

 

[Rufio808]

Some snails are lazy fools. Sometimes I
Pluck them off the glass and put them on the rocks.

 

[Aquatic]

Some snails are lazy fools. Sometimes I
Pluck them off the glass and put them on the rocks.

Is that your way of telling them to get the fuck off and clean your rock? XD

 

[Rufio808]

Yes! Hahaha. You'll be surprised how often they'll crawl off and go straight back to the glass. I wonder why sometimes I got snails in the first place. Usually my magfloat and toothbrush will do what the snails do in 1 bajillionth of the time! Sometimes they'll prove themselves though and do good work.

 

[rdahlke1105]

If you contact John at reefcleaners.org, he can help you with your CUC and pick out the right members for the needs of your tank.