How often to you replenish you CUC?

[razord]

It's kind of tough to keep track of my snail count, etc. I know this depends, but generally speaking, how often to you guys end up replenishing your CUC? I have empty some empty snail shells so I know I don't have the same #s as when I added them 5 months ago, but looking for a general rule of thumb from everyone's experience.

 

[ktownhero]

I don't think there's a good rule of thumb, per se. You just need to assess the situation in your tank and if the crew is keeping up with its job. If you see things slacking then add more. I always err on the high side. You can feed a CUC if the tank is too clean but it's harder to get a CUC to make up for lost time (though it's entirely doable just slower).

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[scooter31707]

Also depends on the kind of fish you have. I have Melranurus wrasse that makes it kind of hard to keep a CUC, so in my case it might be a little often than the normal reef keeper.

 

[DarkSkyForever]

My trochus snails, brittle starfish, and pod population self replenish, I have a few emerald crabs that are still around so I haven't had to buy any more of those. I added 30 or so tiny blue legged hermit crabs months ago and still see them around, haven't worried about adding more of those at all.

I guess my answer is never - so far.

 

[Jah2707]

Great question and one I have been thinking about. I believe after 8 months I have about 1/4 of my CUC left.

Not 100% sure why but my guess is my emerald crab and larger Scarlet hermit probably ate some.

My guess would be when you notice food or algae not being consumed.

Tagging along.

 

[ReefsandGeeks]

CUC isn't a hard science, so like others said, you can just add some based off of how your tank is doing. If you have algea on the glass add a turbo snail. If your sand is getting clumpy add a few nassarius snails or a sand sifting star if your tank is big enough for it. If you don't see a problem, there' no need to add more unless you just like watching them work and don't have enough to entertain yourself.

 

[razord]

yeah, just looking to poll other's experiences. It's often tough to tell if I'm short-handed until it's too late.