Too soon for cuc?

[Jl330]

Was thinking of adding a small cuc this weekend.

Tank has been running for 3 weeks.

55 gallon tank

40 lbs live sand
30 lbs dry sand mixed in
40 pounds dry rock
5 pounds live rock covered in coraline

Tank has fully consumed a deli shrimp at this point.

Got a pretty big diatom bloom but it's slowing down.

Time for a small crew?

 

[CodyRVA]

As long as you've seen your nitrate spike and followed by your first big water change you should be good to add them

 

[Salty1962]

What are your nitrite and ammonia levels? 3 weeks is young for a CUC but if you do add, do it slowly so you can monitor the affects of livestock to your tank

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

Start with something tough too, no shrimp or starfish for a while.

 

[lion king]

Once cycled; I like to start with cerith snails, they clean up the diatoms really good. Only a few; the calculator per gallon is to sell snails, they have to have food to survive or they'll just die and cause other problems. When you start to get green algae add a few astreas or others that you may like. Turbos are the best but when there is plenty to eat and all your stuff is nailed. When you start feeding fish you can add things like nasarrius snails, crabs, or shrimp; they'll want real food to eat.

 

[Jl330]

Start with something tough too, no shrimp or starfish for a while.

Was just gonna do a couple hermit crabs and a few snails.

 

[jsker]

Was just gonna do a couple hermit crabs and a few snails.

That should be good, is there any algae in the system? as @Salty1962 suggests the system my need a week or to more cycle time

 

[Jl330]

That should be good, is there any algae in the system? as @Salty1962 suggests the system my need a week or to more cycle time

Yeah, lots of diatoms, some green fuzzy stuff on the live rock, and lots of purple coraline.

 

[jsker]

Yeah, lots of diatoms, some green fuzzy stuff on the live rock, and lots of purple coraline.

Cool, then the clean up crew will not starve

 

[Jl330]

Before I buy anything, does this look normal?

 

[lion king]

Yep cerith snails will clean that right up, unless you are going to feed your cuc that's all I would get at this point. Ammonia and nitrite 0 right?

 

[PSLReefer]

Cerith and margarita snails, as long as no ammonia. Nitrites and nitrates are fine, just no ammonia

 

[PSLReefer]

Before I buy anything, does this look normal?

Very normal

 

[Jl330]

How many of those snails?

 

[PSLReefer]

Ceriths are tiny but cheap so I'd do like 20 to start with and add a few of something a bit bigger like the margaritas. Maybe 10 or a few turbos. I wouldn't go overboard quite yet

 

[ntayler]

I like Ceriths bc of their small size and low cost. however the real winners (In my opinion) are Trochus with the black foot. Fast movers, voracious eaters, very hardy, and can right themselves if flipped upside down. I've heard Astreas cannot do that. I will only ever buy trochus from here on out.

 

[Jl330]

Should I be concerned with the snails breeding?

When i had a freshwater tank, somehow had a pond snail hitchhike in and I woke up one day with literally thousands of tiny snails which made the tank look terrible. I'm hesitant to add them for this reason.

 

[ntayler]

I have never heard of Ceriths getting to plague proportions. I have only had one generation breed in the last 5 months, they are still fairly small and only about 20 of them I estimate.

I would love it if the trochus would breed, no such luck yet. I would assume levels of the common non pest snails would regulate themselves

 

[Jl330]

I have never heard of Ceriths getting to plague proportions. I have only had one generation breed in the last 5 months, they are still fairly small and only about 20 of them I estimate.

I would love it if the trochus would breed, no such luck yet. I would assume levels of the common non pest snails would regulate themselves

that's good news. I was worried.


I went home on lunch and the diatom bloom has basically covered everything now. Wasn't expecting that magnitude.

Gonna take a water sample over after work so they can check it and add some snails if everything is in check.

Guess it's still too soon for hermit crabs.

 

[Jl330]

Talked to the lfs, ended up with 4 astrea snails and 10 tiny hermit crabs. They're gorging themselves on the diatoms.

Snails are doing laps around my glass and the crabs are climbing the rocks chowing on the algae.