Using CUC for taking out pests: Do you do it? Is it a good idea?

[Reefer Matt Verified Media Partner]

I used peppermint shrimp for aiptasia with success. Also Harlequin shrimp for asterina stars. The only wrasse I have is a six line, and it never bothered the shrimp.
I suggest people decide if they really want those other wrasses, knowing that it will be a lot more difficult to get rid of aiptasia, etc, because the wrasse will most likely eat the shrimp, etc that you want to control pests. For me, a pest free tank without a wrasse (other than 6 line) is better than a tank full of aiptasia, etc. with pretty wrasses.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Emerald crabs make short work of it (once they decide to help out at least). You could do 2-3 in a 60.

Will try, no harm to soft coral?

 

[neo1738]

Peppermint got rid of my aiptasia but my hammerhead frag too YT got a bunch of hair algae early on. He was definitely well fed then.

 

[WhiskyTango]

Why do I have an alert for this silly b-u-l-l-s-h-i-t that ends with "JOIN THIS CONVERSATION!"? No, I don't think I will.

 

[nmotz]

Peppermint shrimp eliminate monti-eating nudibranchs. But they will bother coral and so will sexy shrimp so make sure there is plenty of leftover food for those guys if you don’t have pests.

 

[AKG]

I keep a large amount of hermit crabs (12-15) in my 29 along with a emerald and what used to be 12-15 snails but is now closer to 2 Mexican turbos and the stragglers that have been able to right themselves and not gotten killed.

Emerald definitely picks the pocci from time to time but usually it's because it notices algae on it. Same goes for the other hermits. They climb them like trees to find algae. Sometimes it works, sometimes I have to use a toothbrush or tweezers myself.

The pocci is actually happier and growing faster with the crabs in tank than it was before there were crabs in tank.

No shrimp.

One stomatella
One brittle starfish
One 1" tuxedo urchin (if you glue things down WELL, you will be ok)

Canary blenny to go around and look for things to nom on

Everyone is a model citizen, virtually no algae problems and zero dino or cyano problems.


Barebottom tank, 7 hours of lighting with my 150w nicrew at 100% blue, 35% white.

No sump no skimmer no water changes.

This is not cleaning the glass after about 8 days or so.

 

[Swede's Reef]

Melanurus Wrasse for general pest control. Easts pretty much anything... assorted hermits and a few emerald crabs taking care off bubble algea and general algea.

 

[Sharkbait19]

Will try, no harm to soft coral?

They may pick around, especially at dying coral, but generally leave it alone as long as they’re well fed. Only problem I had was with some clove polyps (and a brittle star), but the crabs have since started to behave.

 

[reeftankdude]

I’ve used Berghia nudibranch for aptasia and bumble bee snails for vermatid snails. Both quite effective.

Oops

 

[nano reef]

I bought 5 nudis and they totally wiped out a bad aptaisa problem! At first I almost bought more after almost a month because I idnt see anything changing but soon after they started disappering little by little an within another month or so they were all gone!

I wish they didint die off(nudis) because there back! I have been buying a lot of new corals so either that or they somehow missed some! My guess is they came on the frags because thats how I got then to begin with!

At least no I found a local guy selling them much cheaper! I could only find one place online and they charged like 20 bucks a piece or some crazy number!

 

[Clanger]

I hope my pistol shrimp will find and eat the bristleworms in my tank they creep me out

I have a monster ive only seen once ha , but are they not themselves cuc ?? There is somewhere on YouTube directions to make a trap for them ,I caught ten, except monsters of course ha

 

[shakacuz]

all the above.

 

[The_Skrimp]

Most pests are going to require that you be their primary predator but clean up crew can make life a lot easier. Between my wrasse and coral banded shrimp, I don’t have to worry all that much about coral pests. My melanurus especially is an expert hunter who spends all day picking at the rocks and the coral banded shrimp works the night shift. They tend to take care of anything that gets past a coral dip. When it comes to keeping the rocks clean, urchins are invaluable and added bacteria through dosing or adding a carbon source is the most affective way I’ve found to control my hair algae.

 

[1979fishgeek]

Aiptasia - Peppermint Shrimp (six in a 1,200l system worked superb destroying 100s)
Zoa eating Asterina Starfish - Harlequin Shrimp
AEF, Red Planaria and Zoa eating Nudi - Sixline and Yellow Coris Wrasse

Apart from the Harlequin Shrimp which I’d only use again if I new I could feed it long term in a very large Asterina infested system. I’d put a Yellow Coris or Sixline and Peppermints shrimps in every system and build my stocking around them.

 

[randalli]

Even though I read more often that people don't like Peppermints these have been the only CUCs that really did their job with the pest they have been assigned to. Other then that no animal ever to enter my tank behaves as is written in literature. What I think happens is the following: When I put a new animal into my tank the lazy bunch already in there welcomes the new fellow and over coffee and donuts the new girl/guy gets briefed like: "... and you can sleep over there. Food's over there ... oh and the most important thing is you don't have to work here. It's like paradise. Those idiots out there don't know what's going on anyway ..." And that's it then. Another perfectly fine de-pester ruined.

 

[skyline377]

Peppermint shrimp work great for my aiptasia problem. They got to work as soon as I put them in.

 

[rinexx]

I definitely can vouch that tiger conch are a valuable addition. Mine takes care of all sand bed algae and will also eat young bryopsis tufts if they appear.

 

[dcsorrell]

I tried peppermint shrimp for aptaisia, and they did get rid of it. However, once it was gone, no matter how well I fed them, they picked on my feather duster relentlessly.