New Cuc help

[TommyDelaney]

I have been researching clean up crew for my newly cycled 135g. I have came up with this list

• 18 Trochus snails
• 25 Astrea snails
• 18 Cerith snails
• 23 Red leg hermits
• 10 Blue leg hermits
• 20 Nassarius snails
• 4 Emerald crabs
• 3 Fighting Conchs
• 1 Serpent starfish
• 1 Tuxedo urchin
• 1 Skunk cleaner shrimp
• 4 Peppermint Shrimp

any comments or concerns on this list or recommendations. I will be ordering them in thirds to not introduce too many at once.

 

[Spare time]

Make sure you add a lot of extra shells in various sizes

 

[Mikedawg]

I have been researching clean up crew for my newly cycled 135g. I have came up with this list

• 18 Trochus snails
• 25 Astrea snails
• 18 Cerith snails
• 23 Red leg hermits
• 10 Blue leg hermits
• 20 Nassarius snails
• 4 Emerald crabs
• 3 Fighting Conchs
• 1 Serpent starfish
• 1 Tuxedo urchin
• 1 Skunk cleaner shrimp
• 4 Peppermint Shrimp

any comments or concerns on this list or recommendations. I will be ordering them in thirds to not introduce too many at once.

Assume you are planning on feeding them for awhile; a newly cycled tank may not have enough food of particular types for all of these animals and some will starve or become food for others.

 

[TommyDelaney]

Assume you are planning on feeding them for awhile; a newly cycled tank may not have enough food of particular types for all of these animals and some will starve or become food for others.

I will be getting in a Foxface next week and was only planning on adding 1/3 of the snails and crabs for the first month or two.

 

[Mikedawg]

I will be getting in a Foxface next week and was only planning on adding 1/3 of the snails and crabs for the first month or two.

Good idea; one reason reefers end up replacing their CUC regularly is because they have overstocked based on a "sales" formula. Your tank will let you know when it is time to add more, lol.

 

[Ike]

I have been researching clean up crew for my newly cycled 135g. I have came up with this list

• 18 Trochus snails
• 25 Astrea snails
• 18 Cerith snails
• 23 Red leg hermits
• 10 Blue leg hermits
• 20 Nassarius snails
• 4 Emerald crabs
• 3 Fighting Conchs
• 1 Serpent starfish
• 1 Tuxedo urchin
• 1 Skunk cleaner shrimp
• 4 Peppermint Shrimp

any comments or concerns on this list or recommendations. I will be ordering them in thirds to not introduce too many at once.

1.) I'd suggest skipping the astrea and getting more tiger trochus and some turbo snails, maybe start with a half dozen snails. Also, skip the conch, they rarely survive long. Get one insteadof three if you still want to try one.

2.) Skip the blue legs and get more red legs, blue legs end up being problematic at times, I've never had an issue with the cortez red legs (in 30+ years) and they are incapable of taking down a healthy snail. For your tank I'd do at least 50 to start, and personally I'd do at least 100.

3.) I'd also suggest skipping the skunk cleaner unless you just want one and the same goes for the serpent star and the urchin, but if you want them go for it.

4.) Do not just get any old Nassarius, get the tongan ones as they're actually Nassarius and they're not problematic like many of the snails sold as Nassarius can be.

I hope that helps!