CUC success advice

[Thomas Jedlicka]

Hello everybody. I have just completed my tank upgrade from 300 to 450 and not having tried a CUC I was think of giving it a try. I have a large predator FOWLR system and was curious if anybody has tried a CUC with a stock list similar to mine.

4 Large puffers
2 eels one massive one small
2 large groupers
1 large snapper
1 large angel
1 large trigger

I have never attempted but feel if I do It may not result well. If anybody has any ideas or advice please let me know!

 

[Miami Reef]

I’m assuming you are dealing with algae on your rocks?

My opinion is skip the clean up inverts. Limit lighting to less than 5 hours a day. Dose vibrant or AlgaeFix to kill algae. Continue regular filtration and if possible use phosguard/GFO to absorb the phosphates from the dead/dying algae.

 

[Thomas Jedlicka]

I’m assuming you are dealing with algae on your rocks?

My opinion is skip the clean up inverts. Limit lighting to less than 5 hours a day. Dose vibrant or AlgaeFix to kill algae. Continue regular filtration and if possible use phosguard/GFO to absorb the phosphates from the dead/dying algae.

more so my fish blow up the frozen food and I get a ton of little particles no matter what i feed and it ends up on the bottom. perfect for literally any invert but question is will they survive. I do have some algae but im less worried about that

 

[Miami Reef]

I understand, but there really isn’t an invert that can survive with puffers and triggers.

You have these options (best to implement them all)

Feed less so fish will need to scavenge the remaining food from floor.

Increase flow so food will remained suspended for the other fish to continue eating and for filter rocks to catch uneaten food.

Purchase benthic feeding fish as a clean up crew (tangs, foxface, angels). They will constantly feed on the bottom for uneaten food as well as from the water column.

 

[Miami Reef]

Another idea: You can try purchasing 1-2 full grown diamond gobies. Caution: your eels and groupers cannot be too large to actually consume the goby.

 

[tharbin]

Hello everybody. I have just completed my tank upgrade from 300 to 450 and not having tried a CUC I was think of giving it a try. I have a large predator FOWLR system and was curious if anybody has tried a CUC with a stock list similar to mine.

4 Large puffers
2 eels one massive one small
2 large groupers
1 large snapper
1 large angel
1 large trigger

I have never attempted but feel if I do It may not result well. If anybody has any ideas or advice please let me know!

The only CUC I can think of that stands a chance in that tank is a Grizzly Bear with a mop. Tough crowd.

 

[JNalley]

personally never had a predator tank, but would tiger conchs, bristleworms, copepods, amphipods, mini stars and spaghetti worms not survive in a tank like this, and eat up the food on the ground? I feel like anything that hides in the sand most of its life, or is too small to be considered food should survive, no?

 

[reeftankdude]

Urchins, but trigger fish might do those in.

 

[Thomas Jedlicka]

unfortunately the fish are quite large. with the smallest being a 6-7 inch blue pelagic puffer with the rest ranging from 6-14 inches. Ill take your advice into mind. going to look into some benthic fish maybe some urchins

 

[Lineatus]

A few larger tangs/ fox faces could work?

 

[tharbin]

unfortunately the fish are quite large. with the smallest being a 6-7 inch blue pelagic puffer with the rest ranging from 6-14 inches. Ill take your advice into mind. going to look into some benthic fish maybe some urchins

Better get tough urchins. I've seen a Niger Trigger (my favorite fish) come up to an urchin "blow" on it to flip it and munch away.

 

[Adrift]

I have been successfully in the past with having margarita snails and hermits. Some become lunch, but I had survivors. Of course I kept everything well fed. Just depends on the fish. I second the foxface for sure and perhaps a tang.