Help choosing my CUC

[yanni]

Hey all!

im currently restarting my reef tank, and I’m trying to choose a suitable cuc list to slowly add. It’s a Waterbox 20, I’ll attach pics of the scape. The current occupancy of the tank will be my two clowns and a coral banded shrimp, and I plan to add a lawnmower blenny eventually.

for inverts I’m thinking a mixture of strombus snails, zombie (nassarius) snails, turbo and trochus snails. I would like eventually to add a small starfish, or possibly an urchin, pending how well the snails mow the algae down. I live in Australia, so that does affect availability of livestock.

I’m mainly worried about numbers of each to add, so I don’t starve them out, but maintain effective sandbed turnover, algae cleaning off rocks, and just general detritus cleaning.

 

[Eric Cohen]

Hey all!

im currently restarting my reef tank, and I’m trying to choose a suitable cuc list to slowly add. It’s a Waterbox 20, I’ll attach pics of the scape. The current occupancy of the tank will be my two clowns and a coral banded shrimp, and I plan to add a lawnmower blenny eventually.

for inverts I’m thinking a mixture of strombus snails, zombie (nassarius) snails, turbo and trochus snails. I would like eventually to add a small starfish, or possibly an urchin, pending how well the snails mow the algae down. I live in Australia, so that does affect availability of livestock.

I’m mainly worried about numbers of each to add, so I don’t starve them out, but maintain effective sandbed turnover, algae cleaning off rocks, and just general detritus cleaning.

View attachment 2968855 View attachment 2968856 View attachment 2968857

Looks good! Sounds like you already have a good idea how not to overload your janitors when your tank is just starting out. Im sure you'll figure it out....slow and steady wins the race....not to mention Im sure you'll go through many small cleaners for your system.....thankfully this is the least expensive part of your future

 

[yanni]

Looks good! Sounds like you already have a good idea how not to overload your janitors when your tank is just starting out. Im sure you'll figure it out....slow and steady wins the race....not to mention Im sure you'll go through many small cleaners for your system.....thankfully this is the least expensive part of your future

Yeah that’s the plan! I want to slowly add them as problems arise, film algae takes hold - trochus snails
- sandbed starts getting yucky even with me stirring it = strombus/nassarius snails
- lawnmower blenny is beneficial and looks cool, so add him in a few months

etc etc, I’ll just be trying to add them only as I need them

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hey all!

im currently restarting my reef tank, and I’m trying to choose a suitable cuc list to slowly add. It’s a Waterbox 20, I’ll attach pics of the scape. The current occupancy of the tank will be my two clowns and a coral banded shrimp, and I plan to add a lawnmower blenny eventually.

for inverts I’m thinking a mixture of strombus snails, zombie (nassarius) snails, turbo and trochus snails. I would like eventually to add a small starfish, or possibly an urchin, pending how well the snails mow the algae down. I live in Australia, so that does affect availability of livestock.

I’m mainly worried about numbers of each to add, so I don’t starve them out, but maintain effective sandbed turnover, algae cleaning off rocks, and just general detritus cleaning.

View attachment 2968855 View attachment 2968856 View attachment 2968857

Nice rockscape. Add CUC once cycle has been completed at least three weeks or there is presence of food source such as film algae. Some good snails to start with are:
Nassarius- surface algae and diatoms
Cerith- diatom and cyano
astrea - film algae and diatoms
Turbo - Surface and hair algae
Trochus - cyano and surface algae

6-8 Caribbean blue leg hermits

 

[yanni]

Nice rockscape. Add CUC once cycle has been completed at least three weeks or there is presence of food source such as film algae. Some good snails to start with are:
Nassarius- surface algae and diatoms
Cerith- diatom and cyano
astrea - film algae and diatoms
Turbo - Surface and hair algae
Trochus - cyano and surface algae

6-8 Caribbean blue leg hermits

I’m unsure if I can get blue legs or astrea here, but that’s a good idea for stocking. Will slowly add those, in making sure to only add them once I can see algae