CORAL JUNKY
Active Member
He guys im newer to the hobby and new to R2R and am just wanting to get yours guys opinion on what's the best invverts for a mixed reef aquarium with a sand bed ?
Clean up crew ?
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CORAL JUNKY
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I have about 30 hermits now , a mix of blue and red leg , sally lightfoot, blood shrimp and had a few turbos but just lost the least 2 . They kept flipping onto their backs . I've heard the nassaurus snails are great for cleaning up the sand bed but my local LFS says they'll kill the turbos . Any truth to that ?
I like the snails here, adding Bumble Bee, Banded Trochus, Zebra Striped Turbo, Margarita.
I dislike crabs, as they are scaverngers and when hungry, will take apart your corals.
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CORAL JUNKY
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Yeah after doing a few days of research and A Lot of forum reading that sounds like the way to go . I like the idea of adding a fighting conch or 2 and some nassaurus snails but my LFS says they'll kill turbos so that makes me kinda nervous . And curious what they might get into .
IMO a new tank is no place for a Conch, just not enough in there for them to eat. You would have to supplement feed.
I've personally kept Tonga Nas & Mexican Turbos together and never experienced any issues. Nor have I ever heard of one killing the other. However what it actually may be is the Nas Snails are great at detecting the dead and dying. To them it's a dinner bell, and they will definitely clean out a Turbo in minutes
I have one Scarlet Hermit in my 40B. The only Hermit I will keep. The only thing I've ever seen it eat, is via sifting the sand. Still I keep only 1.
I also keep several Bumble Bee Snails. Lil buggers get into the tiniest of places and are some of the hardiest snails I've yet to own.
I've personally kept Tonga Nas & Mexican Turbos together and never experienced any issues. Nor have I ever heard of one killing the other. However what it actually may be is the Nas Snails are great at detecting the dead and dying. To them it's a dinner bell, and they will definitely clean out a Turbo in minutes
I have one Scarlet Hermit in my 40B. The only Hermit I will keep. The only thing I've ever seen it eat, is via sifting the sand. Still I keep only 1.
I also keep several Bumble Bee Snails. Lil buggers get into the tiniest of places and are some of the hardiest snails I've yet to own.
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CORAL JUNKY
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Yeah that may b . My next concern is why my turbos keep dying ? But that's a whole other topic I'll have to research . My current setup is a 90 gallon cube , 30x30x24 deep , with about 3 inchs of course sand . Just want to b sure I have the right crew to do the job .
We are told the first thing to buy is a CUC. Than we are sold these huge packages! It's crazy! What are they going to eat?
Possible reasons for your loss of the Turbos is....they may be starving to death. They are Herbivores. Dependent on plant matter, algae.
Just research those that are suggested and than ask yourself does my tank contain the proper foods to sustain them without supplementation?
IMO 30 Hermits is way to many. They will definitely kill snails when hungry. Are you feeding them? Do you have fish yet?
Possible reasons for your loss of the Turbos is....they may be starving to death. They are Herbivores. Dependent on plant matter, algae.
Just research those that are suggested and than ask yourself does my tank contain the proper foods to sustain them without supplementation?
IMO 30 Hermits is way to many. They will definitely kill snails when hungry. Are you feeding them? Do you have fish yet?
NeuroticAquatics
Valuable Member
I think CUC's should be added after a tank is a bit established. These snails/crabs scavenge for food and if there is no algae, unbeaten food, waste, etc they will starve. I also think that a lot of people feel that CUC are necessary. They absolutely are not. If you like the little critters, get them. If not, the system will be fine.
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CORAL JUNKY
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I have a few fish . 2 percula clowns , yellow tang , purple tang, powder brown tang and a matted file fish to hopefully keep my aptasia in check. Even though I haven't seen it eat one yet . I use frozen mysis and a small pellet , forget the name , to feed the fish and coral frenzy for my corals .
With all those Tangs, I can't see you really needing extra algae grazers, especially snails. Look more towards detritus eaters. Those that'll scavenge on uneaten foods.
NeuroticAquatics
Valuable Member
I agree. You can always add algae grazers if you see a real need.
No CUC is really necessary though. With proper water flow and filtration, detritus should not build up and algae can usually be controlled by fish and our cleaning. These little critters are cool, but the don't really take waste out of the water. They eat and they excrete waste.
No CUC is really necessary though. With proper water flow and filtration, detritus should not build up and algae can usually be controlled by fish and our cleaning. These little critters are cool, but the don't really take waste out of the water. They eat and they excrete waste.
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CORAL JUNKY
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K maybe I'm check into a few nassarius snails just to keep my sand bed cleaned up . Thanks guys
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CORAL JUNKY
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Personally I haven't purchased anything online. Only from my LFS .
