CUC good enough?
- Thread starter Genera
- Start date
cloak
New member
That seems like a lot to me. How are you going to keep track of all those creatures? I don't know about you, but I want my CUC to punch a time card every now & then. If your tank isn't an absolute mess to begin with, you could end up with quite a few casualties IMO.
Assuming your water quality IS up to par, you might want to consider something like 10-12 Banded Trochus snails and maybe 5-7 Scarlet Hermit crabs. See how they do for awhile and hopefully if things go right you won't have to add any more janitors down the road. Don't forget, you can keep the glass and the sand clean all by yourself. GL.
Assuming your water quality IS up to par, you might want to consider something like 10-12 Banded Trochus snails and maybe 5-7 Scarlet Hermit crabs. See how they do for awhile and hopefully if things go right you won't have to add any more janitors down the road. Don't forget, you can keep the glass and the sand clean all by yourself. GL.
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Genera
Blink and you're dead.
I don't really want to keep the sand clean by myself, it's DSB and I don't want to have the chance of hydrogen sulfide forming even if the worms and other life will do their thing.
Parameters-
Ammonia- 0ppm
Nitrite- 0ppm
Nitrate- 0ppm
pH- 8.3
Ca- 425ppm
dKH- 8
Mg- 1400ppm
I have diatoms everywhere. EVERYWHERE Not much other algae though. I ordered this crew and should be arriving tomorrow. If they eat everything will I need to supplement them with nori or other things?
cloak
New member
How old is the tank? Having diatoms everywhere sounds pretty normal for a new tank. Assuming you are using RO/DI water this should run it's course given time. As far as that DSB goes, did you mix up the grain sizes? This tends to keep the substrate in constant motion over time, with or without the presence of micro fauna. That sugar fine stuff just becomes compact to easily and then problems like Hydrogen Sulfide tend to ensue IME. GL.
http://www.reefcleaners.org/nuisance-algae-id-guide
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/1/aafeature1
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-12/rhf/index.php
http://www.reefcleaners.org/nuisance-algae-id-guide
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2003/1/aafeature1
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-12/rhf/index.php
hotelbravo
Active member
I think it is way to much clean up crew. a lot of online stores and other lfs recommend you a set number for each sized tank and the number they give are just way to much. I have a 90 gallon and I have
5 blue leg hermits
5 nerite
5 Mexican turbo
2 nessarius
2 peppermint shrimp bought to eliminate an aptasia outbreak which they did a wonderful job of but their purpose has since been limited.
1 skunk shrimp
and 3 brittle stars
I consider my list to be on the high side with shrimp and stars included
they keep my tank plenty clean.
5 blue leg hermits
5 nerite
5 Mexican turbo
2 nessarius
2 peppermint shrimp bought to eliminate an aptasia outbreak which they did a wonderful job of but their purpose has since been limited.
1 skunk shrimp
and 3 brittle stars
I consider my list to be on the high side with shrimp and stars included
they keep my tank plenty clean.
scooter31707
New member
Yep, I agree. that is way too much. I have a 120 and have 8 hermit crabs, 2 turbo snails, 8 nessarius snails, and 6 cerith snails. If there is nothing to eat on in the tank they will compete for algae and detritus and the survival of the fitness. They are going to die off.
Genera
Blink and you're dead.
I was going to mix grain sizes of sugar sized and special grade. But I tried rinsing the special grade and it was still way too dusty. So I have a 4in sugarsized sandbed. The tank is a little more than 2 months old, and has 5 Sailfin Mollies in it. And I do use RO/DI water. I ordered what I mentioned before, and all of the snails are less than half an inch, except for 14 nerites which are about an inch. Is there any way I can purposely introduce algae into my tank? Like the green film algae and green hair algae? Not anything difficult to eliminate. I kind of like the look of a few bits of algae here and there. This tank is not going to have coral so no worries of coral getting overtaken. Its an planted tank with macros and micros. Plan to have a pair of Foureye Butterflies and Sailfin Gobies.
You may have put the cart before the horse. You ordered a clean-up crew with nothing to clean up. Start feeding the tank. That should get algae started. You may want to feed your crew algae wafers until the real stuff comes.
I had no algae at first. Then I added carnivorous fish that I had to feed. Hello algae!
I had no algae at first. Then I added carnivorous fish that I had to feed. Hello algae!
Genera
Blink and you're dead.
I do and did have stuff clean up now. Diatoms everywhere and some new unidentified algae. I'll try getting a rock with nuisance algae on it and feed more. I feed 3 algae wafers twice a day for my mollies. Now I'll feed 6 or 7 algae wafers at the same interval. Maybe a fourth a cube of frozen food twice a day too. I have lots of frozen food but nothing to feed it to. Even a week or two after I introduced them diatoms are still everywhere. Why won't these silicates go away!
Your tank is quite young. Diatoms come first, then the green stuff will follow. Before you know it, you'll be missing those diatom days…
Me too! It's natural. As long as it doesn't get out of hand.
My clean up crew includes two snails that reproduce in the tank. Their populations have exploded. The result is that micro algae is almost gone and macro algae has flourished. The downside, potentially, is a mass snail die off. I've considered removing snails, but decided instead to let Nature take its course. Hopefully, equilibrium will be reached…
My clean up crew includes two snails that reproduce in the tank. Their populations have exploded. The result is that micro algae is almost gone and macro algae has flourished. The downside, potentially, is a mass snail die off. I've considered removing snails, but decided instead to let Nature take its course. Hopefully, equilibrium will be reached…
