Clean Up Crew Help!

[Reefer18]

I currently have a 30 gallon soft coral reef and the cleaners in it is 1 scarlet skunk cleaner, 1 dwarf feather duster, and 1 margarita snail. I want to add more to my CUC and want to add 12 dwarf blue leg hermits, 2 mexican turbo snails, 1 more margarita snail, 2 cerith snails, 2 astraea snails, a black long spine urchin, and a lawnmower blenny. Is this an okay CUC for my tank? I know the urchin can get a bit nippy with corals sometimes but I'm going to supplement it with nori.

 

[Idoc]

the astraea snails really do a good job cleaning. I also have several nerite... but only one (who happens to be very large) does a good job cleaning, the others seem a bit lazy! The ceriths cover both the rocks and glass... takes alot of them since they are so small.

 

[Big G]

Beware of the hermit crab's predatory predilections. Those guys will kill other snails if there is not enough food of their liking.

 

[Shadowspop]

Long spine should be fine with corals. I would suggest a couple of nessarious snails as well, maybe a conch or two. If you are getting red leg or blue leg hermits, they will kill each other foe their shells. I suggest getting a dozen empty and larger shells from your LFS and just throw them in. I have several scarlet legs and they are champs.

 

[Big G]

Ninja Star snails are relentless cleaners and very cool looking. Merry Christmas!

 

[ThunderGoose]

The black long spine will outgrow your tank in a few months (voice of experience here). I had three come in on live rock, all small enough to sit on my thumbnail at the same time. That was in June. I have a 55 gallon tank and I've already re-homed them because of size issues.

I second @Shadowspop about getting some nassarius and or min conchs to stir up your sandbed. And getting extra shells for your hermits. I have blue legs and they've been find as long as there are spare shells around (and plenty of food).

 

[SashimiTurtle]

If you're set on an urchin look at a tuxedo or pin coushion. They stay about golf ball sized and my pin coushion is an algae eating machine. He's confined to the frag tank tho as he polishes rocks like a dremel and coraline is his favorite food, next to soft red macro. He also will carry cerith snails around so I only have a few turbos in there. They are too strong for him to pick off the rock but the poor ceriths in my reef used to get carried around all day inside down on the urchin's back. Anything not bolted down, is his new hat... that's why he's named Fedora.

 

[ChrisOFL]

I prefer to only use snails/limpets for my clean up crew. I have had too many bad experiences with hermit crabs. I recommend bipedal snails like turbo or banded trochus because they can flip themselves back over if they fall on their shell; trochus also breed pretty well in the home aquarium so I always have a constant population. I'm big on having a good amount of microfauna so things like copepods (feeding phytoplankton keeps them thriving) and various worms are good things to see in the tank. I would prefer true nassarius snails over margarita snails because margarita snails can become predatory. I do keep a male emerald crab for bubble algae control and I recently added some peppermint shrimp and berghia nudibranches for my aiptasia problem but these are more targeted CUC members.

 

[Reefer18]

The black long spine will outgrow your tank in a few months (voice of experience here). I had three come in on live rock, all small enough to sit on my thumbnail at the same time. That was in June. I have a 55 gallon tank and I've already re-homed them because of size issues.

I second @Shadowspop about getting some nassarius and or min conchs to stir up your sandbed. And getting extra shells for your hermits. I have blue legs and they've been find as long as there are spare shells around (and plenty of food).

What are min conchs? I know of fighting conchs

 

[Reefer18]

If you're set on an urchin look at a tuxedo or pin coushion. They stay about golf ball sized and my pin coushion is an algae eating machine. He's confined to the frag tank tho as he polishes rocks like a dremel and coraline is his favorite food, next to soft red macro. He also will carry cerith snails around so I only have a few turbos in there. They are too strong for him to pick off the rock but the poor ceriths in my reef used to get carried around all day inside down on the urchin's back. Anything not bolted down, is his new hat... that's why he's named Fedora.

Since a longspine would outgrow my tank, I’ll look into a tuxedo. Longspine and tuxedos are my favorite urchins

 

[ThunderGoose]

Second the tuxedo or short spines urchins. I have one of

What are min conchs? I know of fighting conchs

min should be mini - fighting conchs or tiger conchs.

I love my tuxedo urchin - good size and not as likely to pick up and carry around corals.

 

[Reefer18]

Second the tuxedo or short spines urchins. I have one of

min should be mini - fighting conchs or tiger conchs.

I love my tuxedo urchin - good size and not as likely to pick up and carry around corals.

Oh okay. Tell me if this sounds good. I’ll be adding 3 Mexican turbos, 2 astraea, 12 dwarf blue leg hermits + extra shells, tuxedo urchin, and a lawnmower blenny

Plus the cleanup critters I already have

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Oh okay. Tell me if this sounds good. I’ll be adding 3 Mexican turbos, 2 astraea, 12 dwarf blue leg hermits + extra shells, tuxedo urchin, and a lawnmower blenny

Plus the cleanup critters I already have

I always go with more snails than hermits. Hermits are little snail assassins. Having extra shells is a good thing, but IME, they like the taste of snail flesh.

Just ordered a CUC package I put together for my 35g cube... 4 Florida cerith, 10 dwarf cerith, 8 nassarius and 1 Florida fighting conch. I was going to get a handful of blue legs but they were out right now.

My blue tuxedo unfortunately died early, but my pin coushion is doing fine. The tuxedo picked up less than the pin coushion does. I think you'd be fine with one. Just keep an eye on available algae and supplement with nori, or soft macro, when necessary.

 

[Reefer18]

I always go with more snails than hermits. Hermits are little snail assassins. Having extra shells is a good thing, but IME, they like the taste of snail flesh.

Just ordered a CUC package put together for my 35g cube... 4 Florida cerith, 10 dwarf cerith, 8 nassarius and 1 Florida fighting conch. I was going to get a handful of blue legs but they were out right now.

My blue tuxedo unfortunately died early, but my pin coushion is doing fine. The tuxedo picked up less than the pin coushion does. I think you'd be fine with one. Just keep an eye on available algae and supplement with nori, or soft macro, when necessary.

Thanks for the tips! Think I’ve decided what I’m going to get. 2 Mexican turbos, 3 Astraea, 4 cerith, 6 blue leg hermits, and the tuxedo urchin.

My tank is currently going through its algae cycles and has a mild case of cyano. All these critters should help with that issue though.

 

[ArowanaLover1902]

I'd say even your revised list is too large, especially those turbos. I have a 29 gallon biocube and I only have 4-5 hermits (of varying types so they do different tasks), 2 margarita snails, 5 nerite, 1 astrea, 2 cerith, 1 turbo (I only use him when I have algae problems). Maybe add something to sift your sand. I'd take out the urchin, he'll knock down stuff, eat stuff, etc, he's not worth the trouble and will be a bit too large for your tank.

 

[Reefer18]

I'd say even your revised list is too large, especially those turbos. I have a 29 gallon biocube and I only have 4-5 hermits (of varying types so they do different tasks), 2 margarita snails, 5 nerite, 1 astrea, 2 cerith, 1 turbo (I only use him when I have algae problems). Maybe add something to sift your sand. I'd take out the urchin, he'll knock down stuff, eat stuff, etc, he's not worth the trouble and will be a bit too large for your tank.

Actually the revised list would be the way to go because most people have 20-30 snails in a 30 gallon and I'm only going to be using 10 snails and 6 dwarf blue leg hermit crabs. Mexican Turbos are quiet the algae eaters which is why I'm only getting two. A 30 gallon is also too small for most sand sifters, such as a sand sifting sea star and fighting conchs; they would end up starving to death within a month or two if not supplemented with raw meaty foods. A mini conch or two would be okay though. Also sea urchins are great additions to any reef and add biodiversity, they do tend to knock things over but if you glue your corals down like I do then they'll be okay. Blue tuxedos aren't known to eat corals either, especially when supplemented with dried seaweed sheets, they're also good for 20 gallons and above because they only stay the size of a golfball or slightly larger.

The revised list I plan on adding to my tank is 6 Dwarf Blue Leg Hermits, 2 Turbos, 3 Astraea, 4 Ceriths, and a Blue Tuxedo Urchin.

 

[Bret Brinkmann]

I have a 29 gallon tank and the cerith and dwarf ceriths are good at sifting the sand. Most of them spend a majority of their time there. If you get dwarf ceriths then I would recommend 30 because eat next to nothing but are good at stirring the sand.

From what I hear any crab of any kind will eventually eat something you don't want them eat, especially your snails. The other snails sound good depending on you algae growth rate.

 

[ArowanaLover1902]

Turbos get huge, they eat a ton of algae, two turbos will need supplements to their diet