Talk to me about Cleanup Crews...

[Aaron Shapiro]

So I've setup my tank... 32 Gallon Biocube. Added a little over 30 lbs of live rock, and 20 lbs of live sand. Added beneficial bacteria. Picked up a pair of clowns... But I am starting to see algae, I've cleaned the glass once, before it had almost totally occupied the display panel of the aquarium... and looking in I'm starting to see some algae on the rocks see video. So this has me thinking about clean up crews. I jumped on reefcleaners and looked at the packs they put together. For a 30 gallon tank they suggest: 26 Dwarf Ceriths, 9 Nassarius, 10 Florida Ceriths, 7 Nerites, 6 Assorted Hermits, and 2 Emerald or Ruby Mithrax Crabs. This seems like a MASSIVE amount of critters to add all at once, or am I wrong in thinking that? Is that a major bioload addition?

 

[phatduckk]

This video's pretty good. They go through the # of recommended CUC members by "category" and discuss new tanks vs old

 

[mta_morrow]

So I've setup my tank... 32 Gallon Biocube. Added a little over 30 lbs of live rock, and 20 lbs of live sand. Added beneficial bacteria. Picked up a pair of clowns... But I am starting to see algae, I've cleaned the glass once, before it had almost totally occupied the display panel of the aquarium... and looking in I'm starting to see some algae on the rocks see video. So this has me thinking about clean up crews. I jumped on reefcleaners and looked at the packs they put together. For a 30 gallon tank they suggest: 26 Dwarf Ceriths, 9 Nassarius, 10 Florida Ceriths, 7 Nerites, 6 Assorted Hermits, and 2 Emerald or Ruby Mithrax Crabs. This seems like a MASSIVE amount of critters to add all at once, or am I wrong in thinking that? Is that a major bioload addition?

I and many others find Johns recommendations to be spot on.

You will be surprised what a properly sized CUC can do.

I wouldn’t even consider the bioload personally as it would be so small.

 

[brandon429]

I have a fully different take on CUC's and it comes from working with distressed/algae invaded tanks.
I think every single one was using cuc...so the way I recommend to use them: be able to reef invasion free without them 100%

then when you can, buy a cuc and see if they stop you from having to use the manual control options

*there are thousands of people who use a cuc right off the bat and have no trouble*

the problem is, the other thousand that did have trouble and after cuc options ran thin and many of them lost the tanks by letting original algae takeover without manual controls as part of the tank design. you should make that rock algae free up top as a trial practice run using direct algae kill options having nothing to do with changing your water params or measuring things, you have the option to just kill it.

 

[Cory]

My advice is get some hermit crabs. Some will say they may eat your corals. I havent noticed it. Reason is all my snails died durring a dino bloom. But the hermits are still alive! Strong little things.

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

I recommend a either turning the 2nd compartment into a chaeto growing fuge, or buy a HOB fuge. The key is grow and harvest chaeto such that it out-competes the display tank for nutrients. This won't happen unless you have a decently powered fuge light. This BRS video is very helpful, https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/vide...fugium-light-testing-taken-to-the-next-level/

 

[Aaron Shapiro]

Thanks everyone. My big take away is the need to watch those BRS videos.

 

[New&no clue]

my suggestion would be to learn what each thing does in a tank, because they are all different. Some snails clean your glass, while others dig in the sand. Hermits do one things while urchins do other things. Star fish are cool, but depending on the type they can be too efficient and starve. Also keep in mind that your hermits will kill your snails, an urchin will bulldoze along your scape and tip things over, and your snails will try to escape the tank.

 

[lapin]

I have to agree with a few of the above posts about crews.
I find they are useful but will not replace you doing water changes, vacuuming the sand, and pulling out algae for the first year of tank life. You will always have to clean the glass.

 

[Aaron Shapiro]

I have to agree with a few of the above posts about crews.
I find they are useful but will not replace you doing water changes, vacuuming the sand, and pulling out algae for the first year of tank life. You will always have to clean the glass.

Oh, 100%, to clarify I’m not looking to avoid husbandry. I just like critters and am excited to see things living and working in my tank. Wild horses couldn’t keep me away from regular maintenance.

 

[S2G]

That's way too much imo. Maybe half that. Your tank looks pretty new and that looks like just the normal ugly stage of cycling. Have you checked your nitrate and phosphate levels?

If you get a large crew like that and your tank isn't mature enough to support them they'll just add to your problem by starving to death

 

[Cell]

I found Reefcleaner packs to be overkill. The general rule of thumb I use is 1 critter per gallon. I'd never put more than a single emerald crab in a tank smaller than 60 gallons.

I do something like 10 hermits and 20 snails in a 30 gallon. As for bioload, a lot of those critters will be very small like nassarius snails and blue hermits.

 

[RyanSweet]

I always say to cut John’s recommendation in half. Especially for a newly setup tank. And I prefer snails only, bigger snails live longer - I’ve had 2 fighting conchs in my 75 for 8yrs, so definitely recommend those. Also have 2 blue tuxedo urchins that I suggest for any bubble algae you may run across. Those combined with a few nassarius for sand cleaning, and some Ceriths for getting into the books and crannies of rocks

 

[Aaron Shapiro]

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That's way too much imo. Maybe half that. Your tank looks pretty new and that looks like just the normal ugly stage of cycling. Have you checked your nitrate and phosphate levels?

If you get a large crew like that and your tank isn't mature enough to support them they'll just add to your problem by starving to death

I found Reefcleaner packs to be overkill. The general rule of thumb I use is 1 critter per gallon. I'd never put more than a single emerald crab in a tank smaller than 60 gallons.

I do something like 10 hermits and 20 snails in a 30 gallon. As for bioload, a lot of those critters will be very small like nassarius snails and blue hermits.

I always say to cut John’s recommendation in half. Especially for a newly setup tank. And I prefer snails only, bigger snails live longer - I’ve had 2 fighting conchs in my 75 for 8yrs, so definitely recommend those. Also have 2 blue tuxedo urchins that I suggest for any bubble algae you may run across. Those combined with a few nassarius for sand cleaning, and some Ceriths for getting into the books and crannies of rocks

This is what I was thinking. I'll likely taper up as my tank continues to cycle. I'm beginning to recognize that despite several LFS recs and the vendors Aquashella telling me it was fine... I may have added my clowns a squish early. So I'm gonna get RODI setup in case I need to make frequent water changes. I wanna keep these dudes alive.

 

[BeejReef]

I really enjoyed adding my CUC piecemeal. I was obsessed with the tank, but trying to stay patient. There's only so much you can do to it those first 3-6 months. It is amazing what a few hungry snails can do. Two mexican turbos ate every diatom in the tank.

If you're a long drive from an LFS, I get it. If you have one though, it's a lot of fun to buy them 2-3 at a time and you get a great chance to observe what each eats and ignores in your system. They also can breed. I probably have well over 150 snails and only ever bought 8 or 9. Buy spare (larger) shells for hermits. It can help prevent them from killing your snails for shells.

 

[New&no clue]

Buy spare (larger) shells for hermits.

+1 you can go on amazon and buy a bag of saltwater hermit shells for $20. Or if your lfs is nice they may give you some for free

 

[C. Eymann]

Definitely agree with what was said above about CUC "packs" being overkill most times.

As far as hermits go, crabs are omnivores they will pretty much eat anything they can, and a lot of the times you buy blue legs you can end up with a few that actually arent blue legs and can be less than model reef citizens.

The only hermit that I personally will ever put in my reefs are true scarlet hermit crabs, they tend to be less of a problem in reefs and are the best hermit for algae control, yes they do fetch a premium because of this and because unlike blue legs that can be collected from pretty much any pile of rock or rock wall near shore, scarlet hermits are usually collected out on the reefs.


just my .02

 

[Mortie31]

I’m completely the opposite to most opinions already posted, i believe and most in Europe do that you can’t really have to much CUC, but I certainly wouldn’t add them all at once, a wide variety and few of each type to start then build up steadily. Nass, cucumbers and conches for the sand bed, turbos for algae, emerald crab to stop bryopsis before it gets a hold, different types of hermits to eat detritus and algae, acropora crabs to keep them clear of eggs and pests, I include a wrasse as CUC as well to eat and worms and vermatids that may appear.. Im sure I’ve missed a few but that will do you for now...Most threads I read on here about nuisance algae and pests have too few CUC and it gets a hold so fast and then becomes more difficult to eradicate...

 

[cloak]

I apologize for not reading through the entire thread, but YOU are the best CUC member that tank WILL ever see... Got Time?

 

[Backreefing]

For a 32 cube I would buy about
5-8 turbo snails trochus are the best
7-10 blue leg hermits
6-10 cerith snails
1-3 Mexican turbos
Maybe 1 emerald crab
This should work , good luck