What’s Your CUC?

[ZachariahBeanz]

Hi, I’m having an all in one 20 gallon tank (15 gallons of usable space) what clean up crew would you recommend? What should I stay away from?

 

[tzabor10]

Hi, I’m having an all in one 20 gallon tank (15 gallons of usable space) what clean up crew would you recommend? What should I stay away from?

10 blue leg hermit crabs
10 astrea snails
1 cleaner shrimp
Get a Mexican turbo if algae pops up
2 conch to move the sand

 

[krollins]

10 blue leg hermit crabs
10 astrea snails
1 cleaner shrimp
Get a Mexican turbo if algae pops up
2 conch to move the sand

agree with everything except the two conchs. I would only get one.

 

[SudzFD]

10 blue leg hermit crabs
10 astrea snails
1 cleaner shrimp
Get a Mexican turbo if algae pops up
2 conch to move the sand

Spot on, a perfect list in size and variety.

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

agree with everything except the two conchs. I would only get one.

I 100% agree.

 

[VintageReefer]

1 conch. I have 1 and it more than handles my 75g.

The blue legs are tiny and aggressive and will pick each other off. I say keep them but expect a few losses

I would definitly add

3-5 scarlet hermits
2-3 Mexican turbo

 

[ZachariahBeanz]

Spot on, a perfect list in size and variety.

I 100% agree.

I only have a 15 gallons of space, would a conch still work?

 

[VintageReefer]

1 conch will be ok, but if the sand gets too clean you may have to drop in some sinking pellets or flake food 2-3x a week

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

I only have a 15 gallons of space, would a conch still work?

Yes, but it still has a chance of starving. You have a sand bed, right? Two will definitely starve in a tank that size.

 

[Uncle99]

I’m a 100% crab hater.
Removed all of them 5 years ago including the “reef safe” emerald (which in my system were not safe) all since then, No mysterious deaths, no need to replenish snails.

Glad I did this, they cleaned up nothing!
They did kill a ton of stuff.
That’s why they are sold, so you need to replace things.

Turbos, Astrea, Nassaurius, Conch, that’s it.

 

[VintageReefer]

I’m a 100% crab hater.
Removed all of them 5 years ago including the “reef safe” emerald (which in my system were not safe) all since then, No mysterious deaths, no need to replenish snails.

Glad I did this, they cleaned up nothing!
They did kill a ton of stuff.
That’s why they are sold, so you need to replace things.

Turbos, Astrea, Nassaurius, Conch, that’s it.

I’ve seen this with many hermits especially those tiny red and tiny blue ones that are super cheap. I’ve had great luck with the larger scarlets that are like 5-8$ each. I even have a few in my pico, they have caused no issues with coral or small snails. Here’s a scarlet peacefully cleaning sand

 

[reefermadnes5]

Pods. I love mine and i think everyone should have them. Plankton too.