Is CUC "necessary"?

Philipgonzales3 · Jan 9, 2019

SC Aquariums 50 gallons PNP tank, with sump, skimmer and filter socks if that matters.

I have sand and used Reef Saver dry live rock. I plan to have a FOWLR at least for a good 6 months to a year. I'm honestly mostly into fish. Not too crazy for much else.

So I was wondering if a CUC is necessary? Or even recommended? Or not necessary? Etc.

I know there are many ways to keep a tank but I'm just looking for practical advice. Basically should I or shouldn't I. Basically is it easier/better to have a CUC or to not have a CUC?

tehmadreefer · Jan 9, 2019

They are good to have to clean up uneaten food, fish poop and help with algae blooms.

Billldg · Jan 9, 2019

I would have to say yes. They not only clean up left over fish food, they also eat detritus, turn your sand over and keep it clean. they also keep algae at bay. The question shouldn't be whether or not they r needed, it should be how many. Some would say hundreds, I would say roughly 1 per 10 gals. I have roughly 1 per 10 gals of trochus snails, Cerrith snails, and nessarius snails. The 3 different snails clean the glass, top of the sand, and under the sand.

Katrina71 · Jan 9, 2019

I would say yes.

Matt Carden · Jan 9, 2019

I believe that the CUC should do the maintenance in our aquarium as in the sea.

nanonoob0 · Jan 9, 2019

Definitely yes

saltyfilmfolks · Jan 9, 2019

More yes here.

Chosen wisely, fish can be the cuc

Carterfish · Jan 9, 2019

If fowlr use fish as your cuc. Otherwise all your cuc will do is keep your fish nice and fat but will be a waste of money. Fish that would be beneficial could be a blue diamond goby or one of the gobies that spits out sand, also a kole tang could eat algae off the rocks. Or algae blenny.

Philipgonzales3 · Jan 9, 2019

saltyfilmfolks said:
More yes here.

Chosen wisely, fish can be the cuc

Carterfish said:
If fowlr use fish as your cuc. Otherwise all your cuc will do is keep your fish nice and fat but will be a waste of money. Fish that would be beneficial could be a blue diamond goby or one of the gobies that spits out sand, also a kole tang could eat algae off the rocks. Or algae blenny.

Ah I noticed I forgot to mention my "potential" full stock list (may change as time goes on and I learn more). I am currently at the 2 clowns and 1 Azure Damsel stage and plan to wait at least 1 month before adding another fish.

I guess the Goby would be considered part of the CUC after I get it. It also seems like "Yes" is a definite majority. I'll look into an Algea blenny as I've never heard of it.

2 Clowns
1 Azure Damsel
1 yellow watchman goby or blue diamond (after I get a lid)
1 leopard Toby puffer
1 melanurus wrasse
1 flame angel

I'm definetly open to suggestions on what to get and when to get them as far as CUC goes.

Billldg · Jan 9, 2019

Philipgonzales3 said:
Ah I noticed I forgot to mention my "potential" full stock list (may change as time goes on and I learn more). I am currently at the 2 clowns and 1 Azure Damsel stage and plan to wait at least 1 month before adding another fish.

I guess the Goby would be considered part of the CUC after I get it. It also seems like "Yes" is a definite majority. I'll look into an Algea blenny as I've never heard of it.

2 Clowns
1 Azure Damsel
1 yellow watchman goby or blue diamond (after I get a lid)
1 leopard Toby puffer
1 melanurus wrasse
1 flame angel

I'm definetly open to suggestions on what to get and when to get them as far as CUC goes.

Tangs would be out of the question on a 50 gal tank, I can't speak of any others as I don't have any. The clean up crew is actually an enjoyment to watch, I personally enjoy watching a hermit crab populate a shell that is to big for them, LOL!!!

Carterfish · Jan 9, 2019

My bad. It’s actually just called a diamond goby. Your tank stock list looks good. Toby puffer and melanurus could eat the snails and maybe hermits so getting fish that fulfill a job would be worth it. You could try serpent stars, and emerald crabs if you go the invert way.

Almondkc · Jan 9, 2019

A flame angel is recommended for tanks 70 gallon or more, the rest of your list looks fine. I would have to agree that a CUC is necessary part of a saltwater system. I had not heard of a leopard Toby puffer and they look awesome.

samnaz · Jan 9, 2019

Depends on your fish load and selection. You may find a CUC is not needed. Perhaps you don't have any algae because your fish take care of it all. Uneaten food and/or high nutrient levels can also be taken care of by sand dwelling fish, serious skimming/filtration, a diligent maintenance routine.

I certainly recommend a CUC in most cases. But, only you can be the judge as to say if you really need one.

Philipgonzales3 · Jan 9, 2019

Almondkc said:
A flame angel is recommended for tanks 70 gallon or more, the rest of your list looks fine. I would have to agree that a CUC is necessary part of a saltwater system. I had not heard of a leopard Toby puffer and they look awesome.

Yeah I am on the fence about the flame angel.
I got my stocklist "cleared" on the stock list post here on reef2reef but maybe the person just missed it.

I may look into other alternatives. There are a couple sites that say >30 gallons and others >70.

Skimmed this post but the it is a pretty old post.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1230216

I will keep that one as a probably not. I'll be sure to research more before getting any fish.

Shep · Jan 9, 2019

samnaz said:
Depends on your fish load and selection. You may find a CUC is not needed. Perhaps you don't have any algae because your fish take care of it all. Uneaten food and/or high nutrient levels can also be taken care of by sand dwelling fish, serious skimming/filtration, a diligent maintenance routine.

I certainly recommend a CUC in most cases. But, only you can be the judge as to say if you really need one.

Could not have said it better.

lmm1967 · Jan 10, 2019

That question is too tough to answer.

I have a 120 gallon tank with only an Oyster Toadfish in it, sand, live rock, some 6" PVC pipes cause the fish likes to hide in them. The tank has no light over it and gets very little ambient light.

I only feed him 2 or 3 times a week and only individual large pieces of food that he consumes immediately.

There is no cleanup crew at all - if there was, they would be a snack as soon as the toadfish found them.

If your stock list is going to leave some food scraps around - you should have something to clean that up. If not - you can probably get by without but you need to keep light at a minimum as well IMO