Help me with picking CUC
- Thread starter lougotzz
- Start date
Sisterlimonpot
Premium Member
A good diverse bunch works the best as they all prefer different substrates and types of algae. Most online fish salers have packaged deals that you can see what they have and order appropriately for your 20 gal
Personally, I think the term 'clean up crew' is really overrated.
Bristle worms come with your tank, and they will eat everything you throw in there (within reason).
I really hate the hermit crabs -- they will fight with and kill each other, and kill your snails to eat them and take their shells, and then go and bother your expensive $80 dendrophyllia frags and try to rip them apart to get at the food inside, or just knock them over a bunch, or the cool new purple sponge that started growing on your live rock.
The online vendors will sell you way more than you need, b/c the more they sell you the more money they make.
If I were you I would get 5 cerith snails and 5 astrea snails, and 5 nassarius snails (b/c they are cool and provide competition with the bristles).
Just make sure that you have plenty of skimming power for the tank, and that you've got chaeto in the fuge with plenty of light to pull nutrients out of the tank, and are using RO water and don't overfeed, and you won't have any problems with algae to 'clean up'.
If you keep your tank running 'clean' (low nutrients in the tank because you have figured out your nutrient export systems) then you won't have a lot of nutrients to fuel and algae explosion, and your tank will look great without having to have an army of 'lawn-mowing' this or that.
It would be a good idea to get some 'live sand' from a fellow reefer to help seed your sand bed with beneficial critters (don't get the prebagged stuff in the store, it's pretty darn close to sterile).
Some people like to get emerald crabs to eat algae and b/c they are fun, but the crabs will turn into killers when they get large enough (about the size of a quarter, from what I hear).
Bristle worms come with your tank, and they will eat everything you throw in there (within reason).
I really hate the hermit crabs -- they will fight with and kill each other, and kill your snails to eat them and take their shells, and then go and bother your expensive $80 dendrophyllia frags and try to rip them apart to get at the food inside, or just knock them over a bunch, or the cool new purple sponge that started growing on your live rock.
The online vendors will sell you way more than you need, b/c the more they sell you the more money they make.
If I were you I would get 5 cerith snails and 5 astrea snails, and 5 nassarius snails (b/c they are cool and provide competition with the bristles).
Just make sure that you have plenty of skimming power for the tank, and that you've got chaeto in the fuge with plenty of light to pull nutrients out of the tank, and are using RO water and don't overfeed, and you won't have any problems with algae to 'clean up'.
If you keep your tank running 'clean' (low nutrients in the tank because you have figured out your nutrient export systems) then you won't have a lot of nutrients to fuel and algae explosion, and your tank will look great without having to have an army of 'lawn-mowing' this or that.
It would be a good idea to get some 'live sand' from a fellow reefer to help seed your sand bed with beneficial critters (don't get the prebagged stuff in the store, it's pretty darn close to sterile).
Some people like to get emerald crabs to eat algae and b/c they are fun, but the crabs will turn into killers when they get large enough (about the size of a quarter, from what I hear).
