CUC guidelines

[bamf25]

How many and what type of critters do you have in your clean up crew? I have a 120g dt, with a 40g sump which has a fuge area in it of around 15g. I will be running a deep sand bed and cheeto in the fuge. I see all these premade reef cuc packages online, but am confused what exactly would be best for me.

[jrbills12]

I have a 75 gallon tank and I have 20 assorted critters which is probably not nearly enough, but it works well enough. I have 3 turbo snails, 5 nasa snails, 5 hermit crabs (red leg), 3 emerald crabs, and I forget the other little things. Id say the ones the do the most are the turbos, but they are big. The hermits clean up any left overs on the substrate as well as the nasas. Emeralds like to get in the cracks and crannies and eat algae I only see them at night.

[Liquid Hobby]

On my first tank, a 40 G bdr, I went with the conventional wisdom of a lot of critters. Over time, the population controlled itself. Meaning it reached a point of stasis where I no longer lost critters and the population stabilized. I find this to mean I had too many critters to start with.

Now, on my new 120 I went the other way and after 4 months I have no issues. Here's what I have in my 120: 3 turbos, 2 nas, 2 cerinth, 2 emerald, 1 conch, 1 brittle star and 3 hermits. That's it...

I also have a dragon goby that does a good job of keeping the sand bed clean.

[bamf25]

I was thinking of getting a reef package, but for a much smaller tank like a 40 gallon. I do not know if I want the emerald crabs or not (people have many oppinions on them), but to the conch and brittle starts help alot? Do people keep alot in the fuge also?

[Liquid Hobby]

I have a few emeralds and some snails in the fuge. I've never had issues with emeralds...

The conch does an OK job. The brittle star is a great scavenger.

[Jedidad]

i've never had any problems with emeralds either. my serpent star did a great job cleaning up left over food.