CUC questions

[JammyBirch]

Ok, I'm getting ready for a clean up crew and I have some questions. I have a 25 gallon DT with a 10 gallon split sump, 5 gallons of it is a refugium.

I'd like to have clean up crew members in both section, fuge and DT.

What would you recommend and quantity as well.

Thanks in advance.

 

[shesacharmer]

If you get the 25 gallon clean up crew from our sponsor reefcleaners.org you will have more than enough for both. I've been very happy dealing with them.

 

[Big_Boss_77]

If you get the 25 gallon clean up crew from our sponsor reefcleaners.org you will have more than enough for both. I've been very happy dealing with them.

+1
They are awesome, they over shipped me on every thing I ordered and maybe only one or two crabs didn't make it. Only place I'll buy cuc from.

 

[JMorris271]

How long after a finished cycle do you wait before you put a cc in? What do they eat in a newly cycled tank when not enough time for the algae to start?

 

[cloak]

Being that your tank has just cycled, a few Trochus snails and perhaps a scarlet hermit crab would be a good start IMO. Hopefully if things go right, you won't have to add any more janitors down the road. For the refugium, just a couple Trochus snails as well. This area should be jam packed full of pods & worms if you ask me. Places like http://www.ipsf.com/ sell these kinds of things. GL.

 

[JammyBirch]

i'm freshly cycled, i have a huge Diatom bloom that seems to come and go...it's starting to annoy me. I have green hair algae as well, it's on the live rocks i used to seed from. Right now i have 2 bumblebee snails, and 2 blue leg hermits in there. They are not crushing the algea like i had hoped, i know the bumbles are carnivors, they are in there to handle the other stuff.

Anyway i was looking on the Reef Cleaners website, for a crab / snail mix pack is like $50. If i go in and select my own crew i could get it for $14? How many cleaners is really needed?

I want the CUC to be agressive but i don't want a 70 team member crew, i was thinking ~30, roughly one for each gallon.

What do you think?

 

[cchsoracle]

I would definitely consider ordering from John at reefcleaners. He always overships so you can consider getting a smaller crew, maybe around 15 gallon crew and still end up with the proper amount.

One thing to consider: alot of the snails will not be out and about during the day. If you are worried about seeing too many snails, don't. I have roughly 100 dwarf ceriths(in addition to nerites, Florida Ceriths, and nasarious) in my 34 gallon and barely see 5 during the day. But at night, after the lights go out, they come out in large numbers and keep my tank very clean.

Also, it is more a personal preference, but I do not run any crabs in my CUC. They tend to kill all of your snails. This also saved me some money.

 

[Big_Boss_77]

How long after a finished cycle do you wait before you put a cc in? What do they eat in a newly cycled tank when not enough time for the algae to start?

Once your nitrates are showing up on your tests, do a water change or two to bring them down. Once they're down and you're sure they're not going to spike again you can throw in your cuc. You can put in a little food every few days or so to feed the crew and continue to promote the growth of the bacteria while doing so. Once your parameters begin to remain stable again, then you can add your first fish. One at a time is a very solid rule of thumb. Some people push for two which is okay if you've got A LOT of live rock and natural filtration, but slow and steady wins the race. Just remember, this is a marathon, not a sprint and you'll do just fine.

 

[JammyBirch]

Here's a pic of the tank, just did a 25% water change and did some routine cleaning. This tank looks terrible, hair algae and diatom craziness...

So glad the cycle is over...

That's a great idea to get a 15 gallon crew and see how it goes. I thought scarlet crabs were peaceful?

 

[PotteryMan]

+1 on reefcleaners. I started my cycle 8/14. Added a CUC from them after I did my first huge water change. My nitrates are still high, 50, and I am doing another huge water change this week. The CUC is doing fine.

Diatom algae everywhere but starting to subside some. Good Luck!

 

[JammyBirch]

Ordered...should be fun.

 

[JammyBirch]

i went with the snail only option, i've got to add some rubble and cheato to my sump so that that environment is closer to what it eventually should be.

Got an email from John today, gonig to ship Monday can't wait...

 

[Big_Boss_77]

i went with the snail only option, i've got to add some rubble and cheato to my sump so that that environment is closer to what it eventually should be.

Got an email from John today, gonig to ship Monday can't wait...

Cool, keep us posted! I've had my cuc for about 3 months now and my cerith and nassarus snails have easily doubled their population but the neat thing is my emerald mithrax crab. That guy was tiny when I got him, but he's molted at least twice now and he's grown massive! So just remember that even though your cuc are the behind the scenes guys, if you do it right, they can be an awesome part of your tank as well!