question about snails cuc

[TwistedMind]

Bought the reef cleaners 55 gallon snail cuc. Wil these guys left over food or are they more for algae? Trying to decide if I should add a crab or hermits.

Stocking is 1 purple fire fish, 2 ora clowns.

Not sure of the cuc make up. It's like 20 nassarius, 50 cerith, 50 dwarf cerith iirc

 

[rocsec1]

The snails will do both

 

[cloak]

Usually for algae, but if you don't make a mess there's nothing to clean up. Plain & simple...

Leftovers = :thumbdown

That's way too many snails for a 55 gallon tank btw. Try starting out with 7-10, & if things go right you won't have to add any more janitors to your tank down the road. GL.

 

[TwistedMind]

I don't have a 55 gallon tank, I just ordered the cuc for a 55 gallon tank. And I have left overs because I have 3 baby fish that won't eat unless the food passes within a inch of their face lol so I have to put a little extra in. Think I might get a emerald crab anyways, they scavenge so I don't think it will mess with coral unless I stop feeding for some reason

 

[cloak]

That's still way too many snails IMO. I hope they don't end up feeding upon the algae brought on by a population decline.

Keep an eye on that emerald crab btw. Lot's of horror stories out there... GL.

 

[shesacharmer]

Hermits will eat your snails. I got the 75 gallon cleanup crew for my 75 with 30 gallon fuge. Yes, it's a lot of snails but I've been avoiding many of the problems that other new reefers are having since I tend to be heavy handed with feeding. That assortment eats both algae and detritus as well as diatoms.

 

[cloak]

FWIW, my tank is about 5 years old. I only have two trochus snails and one peppermint shrimp right now and the tank is pretty much spotless. I think I would have to be a damn fool to have any more CUC members in this tank than there is right now. There's no need... So kind of ask yourself, are they really janitors, or just pets? If they happen to die off due to starvation, isn't that a good thing? Less is more?

 

[TwistedMind]

FWIW, my tank is about 5 years old. I only have two trochus snails and one peppermint shrimp right now and the tank is pretty much spotless. I think I would have to be a damn fool to have any more CUC members in this tank than there is right now. There's no need... So kind of ask yourself, are they really janitors, or just pets? If they happen to die off due to starvation, isn't that a good thing? Less is more?

I'm going to get flamed to hell and back but survival of the fittest hasn't went wrong yet.

So I agree with you. Less is more, if some of my new snails die so be it.

I'd skip the crab and go with a cleaner shrimp but last time my skunk cleaner shrimp went rogue and was jacking food from corals lol

Not sure I want to risk that

 

[VAReefDog]

Careful with crabs and hermits- my cleaner steals food from the corals and I have had a hermit that took out a favia frag- like they said above- if the crabs or shrimp get hungry they will get food where they can.