How to keep a wrasse with a clean up crew?

[bubbaque]

I am wanting to pick up a Wrasse for my tank but I hear they will eat your CUC. For those who have wrasses what is your experience? What are you using to help keep the tank clean if the wrasse is eating the help?

 

[urbaneks]

I have a melanurus wrasse that will eat snails and hermits if I put them in while he is awake. If I wait til he goes to bed, which they sleep under the sand, I can add them and he's oblivious to them the next day.

 

[andrewey]

The cleaner/Fairy wrasses tend to be pretty nice to clean up crews.

 

[Humblefish]

Flasher/fairy wrasses are generally OK with CUC; all others are dicey.

 

[bubbaque]

What do you use as a CUC if it decides it wants to eat them?

 

[hinovak]

Urchins are a good choice. I love wrasses, so I add a few extra clean up crew about every month. As long as they are well fed. It takes them awhile to destroy your clean up crew as long as you have lots of places for the cuc to hide

 

[Greenstreet.1]

I re-up on CUC once a year in my main Dt but like humblefish said with my fairy/flasher tank they don't bother the CUC

 

[becks]

I would like an urchin, but have seen some that have eaten the silicon, which has put me off

 

[Waters]

I have some semi-aggressive non reef safe wrasses in my reef by using Urchins, large Cowries, and other maintenance fish (Kole Tang, Algae Blenny) as my CUC.

 

[eatbreakfast]

Fairy, flasher, pencil, Wetmorella, and pink streak wrasses don't bother cuc.

A seahare is my only cuc in my tank.

 

[jd371]

I have 2 shrimp, Cleaner and Fire, some snails, Turbos, Nassarius, and a Conch and my Melanarus is oblivious to them. I tried adding 2 Jumbo Peppermint to take care of a small Aptasia problem and he ate one, but I was able to save the other and is now in my sump.
It's hit or miss with Wrasses, add the CUC after lights out and hope for the best.

 

[Greenstreet.1]

I find that when it come to shrimp the best way I found to make them last is to add them to the tank before the wrasses are added to the tank

 

[4FordFamily]

I personally replace my cuc annually or biannually because wrasse are completely worth it. They never deplete them, and I've never seen them hunt them for certain.

Sand sifting stars and urchins work well. Sea hare is a neat idea

 

[Blue Lip]

Tangs and myself. Snails and shrimp don't last very long in my tank.

 

[Greenstreet.1]

Tangs and myself. Snails and shrimp don't last very long in my tank.

What do you mean by tangs and yourself ?

 

[Blue Lip]

Tangs eat algae. I would have to consider myself as part of the clean up crew with the amount of algae I sometimes remove. Lol

 

[Humblefish]

I've seen many successful tanks with no CUC at all.

 

[Jamie Allbritton]

What do you use as a CUC if it decides it wants to eat them?

Snails, crabs, starfish and shrimp

 

[bubbaque]

Snails, crabs, starfish and shrimp

Thanks but this thread is years old now.

 

[KissMyWrasse]

My Christmas wrasse wrecked shop on my crew. In one month took a sand sifting star, sally light foot, and 2 emeralds. However, I would never get rid of it...