CUC Expansion Recommendations

jabberwock · Jan 29, 2019

I have a 7 month old 32 gallon biocube with 5 small fish and some small softies and 1 small LPS. Started with dry rock and 2 inches of live sand. I have a lot of GHA. Daily micro water changes (64 oz). I feel like the system is generally healthy and balanced despite the algae.

API Test Kit
Ammonia = 0
Nitrite = 0
Nitrate = 20
Phosphate = 0
Temp = 80
Alkalinity = 9
Calcium = 420
pH = 8.2
Specific Gravity = 1.026

Right now the CUC is:
3 nessarius snails
1 hermit crab
1 Tiger sand conch
and a fat lawnmower blenny

hitchhikers include:
vermited snails
small bristle worms
collonista snails
a few micro brittle stars

Should I be adding more CUC? What do you suggest?

reacclimating 2 the hobby · Jan 29, 2019

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-fight-with-green-hair-algae-you-can-win.334892/

James M · Jan 29, 2019

More snails like margarita and turbos.

dugthefish · Jan 29, 2019

More snails. I like keeping a fair sized brittle star for detritus.

lapin · Jan 29, 2019

Said before: More snails like margarita and turbos. When you cut the hair down the snails should keep it in check. Be careful you dont starve the lawnmower.

jabberwock · Feb 3, 2019

If I do mostly get rid of the hair algae, can the lawnmower survive on Nori?

lapin · Feb 3, 2019

Maybe, Maybe not. Whats it eat now? Some like hair some dont. Mine does not really eat it. It ate all the new bryopsis that was growing. Now that thats gone it likes to eat the film on the tank sides. I still see it picking at the rocks but not so often. I have never seen it eat nori, either on a clip or free floating pieces

jabberwock · Feb 3, 2019

My LMB is a machine. He is all over everything. If I don't clean my glass for a few days I can see his nomb marks all over, and he is constantly working on the algae covered rocks. I don't currently feed anything nori, so he has never seen it. Maybe I will run a little test, but I bet it will be hard to get him to eat something other than the natural algae farm I have going on.

dugthefish · Feb 3, 2019

My blenny prefers seaweed sheets. He only cleans tank on days I dont put it out lol

vetteguy53081 · Feb 3, 2019

At least 4 of each-
Turbo grazers
astrea
Trochus
Margarita
Cerith
Nassarius
1 fighting conch

jabberwock · Feb 3, 2019

vetteguy53081 said:
At least 4 of each-
Turbo grazers
astrea
Trochus
Margarita
Cerith
Nassarius
1 fighting conch

I really appreciate everyone's recommendations!

I have not had good luck with trochus, and I don't want to worry about snails being up side down, and I already have a Tiger Sand Conch and 3 nessarius snails. I don't think the margarita snails are well suited for a reef tank. So I think I will add: