Cuc ?

[sladeclan]

I have a 55 gal tank. What kind of cuc should I have. Currently I have 1 turbo snail, 1 nerite snail, 1 cleaner shrimp, 3 red legged crabs, 2 blue leg crabs and 2 nassarius snails. I have only had my tank for 5 months and am still learning. I also had a question about pumps. I only have one pump should I have one on each side of my tank? It looks like I have good flow. What does every one use to keep their pumps and heaters from disconnecting? My suction cups are constantly detaching.

Thanks
Diane

 

[saltyphish]

Many people add the powerhead on the other side to create a crossflow, or they use a wave maker to make the pumps alternate to make a wave action in your tank. The need depends on what you are placing in your tank. If you are thinking sps coral then I have read that you need 30-50 x your tank size for flow.

 

[fishroomlady]

I would suggest another powerhead. It may be worthwhile to look at purchasing some new powerheads because most fit very tight in the terms of the magnets.....you may want to check out jabeo powerheads - there is the wp series and the relatively new rw series which many people are finding to be better (rw) due to its wider flow. they come with wavemakers so you can create the type of flow you want and are not super expensive.

I'm not sure about the heater? that's weird that the suction cups aren't holding....in terms of a CUC, you have a nice variety now....it can't hurt to add a few smaller snails since it looks like you have a good amount of alge - I like to ask my LFS to create a variety pack of CUC members about every 3-4 months. I love my fighting conches, I have two and they are a wonderful crew addition, they do a great job in keeping the sand bed clean.

 

[sladeclan]

Currently I have a Carpet Anemone and two long tentacle anemones, a humbug damsel, velvatine damsel, Cardinal, Maroon clown fish, and a yellow tail damsel.I would like to get some sps corals in the future. Thanks for your help.

 

[vic67]

I agree with adding a little more to your CUC; maybe another Turbo and a few more Nassarius. I also like the Fighting Conch bc it's a great sand sifter. For holding your PHs and heater there are magnets for that. I use a Zoo Med for the heater and Sure Grips for the PHs.

 

[sladeclan]

I was able to add another turbo, 7 Nassarius and 3 Asteria snails. My tank looks so much better already, the diatoms are just about gone. It has only been 5 days. The turbo snail even cleaned off my pump. MY Nitrate is still at 10 but I feel with the next water change and not using tap water that should clear up.

Diatom Bloom

CUC hard at work

 

[gemini9]

Reef Cleaners| Clean up Crews and Macroalgae - Reef Cleaners

If you email this guy your tank and setup, future plans, etc, he will email you a customized list of a recommended clean up crew. Prices are reasonable, too and he has a large selection of stuff if you want to make a few changes to the list he provides.

 

[sladeclan]

Great. Thanks for the information.

 

[Mandrew]

I'm a big fan of reefcleaners also! They have nice dry rock and great prices on cleaners.