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View Full Version : Whats in YOUR CUC?


lolgranny
10/15/2010, 04:41 PM
I have a 40g breeder and i currently have 4 turbo snails(got them to rid the tank of alot of algae i got during cycling) Also have ~25 blue legged hermits.
Wondering what else i should get? Was thinking about ~15-20 more snails, but unsure of what type to get and another 20 hermits(10 for the fuge) Maybe some cerith snails for the sand in the fuge?

What do you guys think?!?

Thanks!!!!
Dave

scubasteve06
10/15/2010, 05:04 PM
Approximately I say approx. because its been a while and I don't count my crabs or snails there are too many of them, but I have around 40-50 red legged hermits, 3 neon blue hermits, 25 cerith snails, and 5 mexican turbo snails. If I could do it over again I wouldn't have gotten the hermits. They haven't killed any snails or other hermits, but they knock my frags over all the darn time! I would of just replaced the hermits with ceriths. I like ceriths because they are sand burrowers also so they do a great job of turning over the sand and they also eat algae off the glass and rocks. And unlike astrea's won't die if they fall over on their backs or a hermit turns them over looking for a new shell. The turbo's are also good for taking big hunks of algae out but mainly just on the glass and top of the sand bed. I do like the fact that my hermits take care of any left over food that is on the sand bed, but the same number of ceriths would probably do just as good with the added benefit of cleaning the glass and rocks. I'd like to add a sand sifting star and bristle star but I've heard they eat copepods and I need all the pods I have to be for my red scooter blenny and green mandarin. I also want to add a fighting conch. I've heard those conchs are like 25-30 snails or hermits on their own and really get all the stuff out the sand and on it.

Michael
10/15/2010, 11:37 PM
I wouldn't personally add anything else at all for now, I dont actually like crabs anyhow, but small inverts will soon starve to death when the food source depletes, its best to have just a dozen at most initially and add further janitor stocks as your fish and coral stocks grow to keep up with demand.

Lynnmw1208
10/16/2010, 07:31 AM
I hope the blue legged hermits leave your snails alone. I hear they can be nasty to them. :hmm2: I agree with the other advice. unless you want to get some sand burrowing snails, I'd leave it at what you have right now.

scubasteve06
10/16/2010, 07:47 AM
Yea lyn the blue legs are mean little snail shell turning over carnivorous basterds. My red legs don't bother the other 3 neon blues I have (they are a lot bigger than them) or my snails. They just crawl around knocking corals over with their clumsy shells. Aaarghh!!!

Gary Majchrzak
10/16/2010, 07:57 AM
a lot of people overdo it on snails, hermit crabs and CUC critters in general.

Herbivore and detrivore critters are great for emplying a "top down" strategy but aquarists should also employ a "bottom up" strategy for controlling nuisance algae etc.

CUC critter poo = fuel for nuisance algae.