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

 

[Luke.]

Not bad I haven't used crabs in 2 years they killed so much of my coral .. I love ninja star

My best cuc yet in my 40g

3 peppermint shrimp
4 margarita snails (my fav because they are smaller)
7 normal typical snails (forgot the name lol )
5 ninja stars
I had 2 turbos but lost them 1 small one would be Grate !

Down the road I'd get a conch really helps the sand bed .

 

[Canadianeh]

Not bad I haven't used crabs in 2 years they killed so much of my coral .. I love ninja star

My best cuc yet in my 40g

3 peppermint shrimp
4 margarita snails (my fav because they are smaller)
7 normal typical snails (forgot the name lol )
5 ninja stars
I had 2 turbos but lost them 1 small one would be Grate !

Down the road I'd get a conch really helps the sand bed .

what's other name for ninja star. I could not find it on Liveaquaria.

 

[Luke.]

what's other name for ninja star. I could not find it on Liveaquaria.

Spiny Star Astraea
(Astraea phoebia)

 

[AdInfinitum]

I know I am in the minority here and you've heard this before but.....

Keep whatever snails etc. that you enjoy and find interesting but do not add any of these creatures to your tank because you have been told you "NEED" them. YOU DO NOT!

All kinds of fauna will develop in your system that will consume any uneaten food...algae control is about nutrient control.

The one exception is having something (fish, shrimp or nudi) that will prey on Aiptasia which isn't really clean up...

 

[nathan]

Spiny s

what's other name for ninja star. I could not find it on Liveaquaria.

Spiny star

 

[Canadianeh]

I know I am in the minority here and you've heard this before but.....

Keep whatever snails etc. that you enjoy and find interesting but do not add any of these creatures to your tank because you have been told you "NEED" them. YOU DO NOT!

All kinds of fauna will develop in your system that will consume any uneaten food...algae control is about nutrient control.

The one exception is having something (fish, shrimp or nudi) that will prey on Aiptasia which isn't really clean up...

Which fishes or inverts that hunt and eat Aiptasia?

 

[Luke.]

Which fishes or inverts that hunt and eat Aiptasia?

True peppermint shrimp and copper band butterfly

 

[Kman]

I myself don't trust crabs. They are sneaky backstabbers full of sneakery with hidden agendas and usually sooner or later bite you in the butt. Even the 'algae' eating ones will in the end eat stuff that you don't want them to. I would only add a basic amount of clean up crew like 10 Spiny Star Astraea as in time like AdInfinitum mentioned all sorts of fauna will develop and take care of your needs. If you know anyone with caulerpa you should get a wad of it from them. This will typically have everything you need. Shrimp are nice but they will eat stuff you don't want them to as they are predators. Peppermint shrimp for aiptasia control is shoddy at best. They have never worked for me. If you are a heavy feeder like me they will just eat the food and be to full to eat much else. They also have a habit of ripping open LPS to get at the food as they are greedy. Assuming you ever see them again after adding them. They have been nothing but a waste of money for me. I once dropped $100 worth into my tank never to see them again. In the end i only ended up $100 poorer. lol

I myself don't think copperbands are a good option. They have a very poor survival rate. I find the best option is to use a Matted file fish. That fish is actually solid for a file fish and will greedily eat aiptasia. I have had one for quite some time now with no issues. They accept frozen as well.

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=15+30+2562&pcatid=2562

 

[Bece13]

+1...

 

[nathan]

I have a peppermint shrimp that took care of my problem. When it's fish feeding time it comes out of hiding to scavenge what my fish didn't get. My peppermint has been great!

 

[Canadianeh]

How about?
5 spiny star astrea snail
5 trochus snail
2 Red-legged hermit crab
2 cleaner shrimps

 

[new2reefing]

I like holloween hermit crabs, electric blue hermits, and red leg. electric blues almost never show up locally , and Halloween's are ever rare lately.
Never seen one of them eat any coral, or heard of them doing so, but anythings possible.
My blue legs eat every fancy hermit I add, including every last red leg, So I will be purging them before I buy any more.

 

[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

 

[Canadianeh]

I like holloween hermit crabs, electric blue hermits, and red leg. electric blues almost never show up locally , and Halloween's are ever rare lately.
Never seen one of them eat any coral, or heard of them doing so, but anythings possible.
My blue legs eat every fancy hermit I add, including every last red leg, So I will be purging them before I buy any more.

blue legged hermit crab eats the other hermit crabs??

 

[Salty Cracker]

GFO

 

[Canadianeh]

GFO

sorry what do you mean by GFO?

 

[crstalww]

I hate hermits they kill snails

 

[Canadianeh]

I 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.

 

[Salty Cracker]

sorry what do you mean by GFO?

I mean that's all you really need. Granular Ferric Oxide.

The CUC is just tank filler. I am partial to the blue leggeds myself, but they don't do much. Mexican turbos are good cleaners but knock the crap out of everything, but for gunk in the tank, you need a really good skimmer and GFO. Change monthly, and bob's yer uncle. Add carbon to keep the water crystal clear....