CUC question?

[clownfanatic55]

I have hermits crabs and shrimp in there now, but I think the snails do A LOT better job in the case of cleaning my tank. But, every time I put snails in my tank...they die or get eaten!

Where I am trying to get at is...what is the best kind of invert that cleans up the absolute BEST and is not harmful to anything.
Much help would be appreciated! Thanks guys!

 

[clownfanatic55]

Can anybody help me out with this? No replies yet! I need to know!

 

[truperc]

What type of cleaning are you looking for. You will not find a single invert that does it all.

 

[jaodissa]

I think its just preference. I have 3 snails, 5 hermit crabs and 1 emerald crab. Im gonna get a couple starfish and maybe an urchin one day and be done with my clean up crew.

 

[casper1875]

I like Turbo/Astrea Snails. The Mexican turbos did not live too long in my aquarium. I also bought 2 bumble bee snails, well over a year ago and they still come out at night and clean. I also drip acclimate the snails. I hope this helps you.

 

[louti]

I like nassarius snails a lot. They help stir up the sand and will come out of the sand to eats detritus. It is cool to watch them erupt from the sand when you feed. Also they have been the hardiest snails ive had. I put two in my tank that have lived almost 2 yrs and through two tank moves.

 

[truperc]

emerald crab
Tiger Sand Conch
Nassarius Snails - nice for sand bed
Turbo Snail - Good as a generalist
Cerith Snail - generalist
what is eating your snails? how big is your tank? How many hermits do you have? What kind of hermits are they?

 

[fretfreak13]

If this is the person I'm thinking it is (correct me if its not lol), nothing is eating her snails. They're just kicking the bucket right when she puts them in and her water quality is fine. Been through this a dozen times.
Is your one narci snail still doing that upsidedowny thing?

 

[jaodissa]

Originally Posted by Fretfreak13
http:///forum/post/3162340
If this is the person I'm thinking it is (correct me if its not lol), nothing is eating her snails. They're just kicking the bucket right when she puts them in and her water quality is fine. Been through this a dozen times.
Is your one narci snail still doing that upsidedowny thing?

They weren't talking about me but thanks for the thought And my narci snail sleeps upside down, and at night crawls on the glass. He is quiet strange.
Clownfanatic55 said his snails were being eaten.

 

[clownfanatic55]

I have a trigger which I am returning to the LFS and getting some in trade..but all 20 of the snails I got off the 55-100 gallon reef package died, and were just empty shells. I have small ones growing, I guess from my rock that have been growing for awhile, and my trigger saw one and just ripped it off the glass! lol I was pissed...if I get rid of the trigger do you think I will still have the dead snail problems? I have the blue leg and the uhhh..hold on

 

[clownfanatic55]

And the scarlet hermits

 

[xcali1985]

Originally Posted by Clownfanatic55
http:///forum/post/3162676
I have a trigger which I am returning to the LFS and getting some in trade..but all 20 of the snails I got off the 55-100 gallon reef package died, and were just empty shells. I have small ones growing, I guess from my rock that have been growing for awhile, and my trigger saw one and just ripped it off the glass! lol I was pissed...if I get rid of the trigger do you think I will still have the dead snail problems? I have the blue leg and the uhhh..hold on
You have a predator in your tank, maybe a hitchhiker my dads 55 had the same problem. Turned out one of those devil crabs hitchhiked on a rock. He had to iodine soak it to get him out of it.

 

[reddhead]

Originally Posted by Xcali1985
http:///forum/post/3162734
You have a predator in your tank, maybe a hitchhiker my dads 55 had the same problem. Turned out one of those devil crabs hitchhiked on a rock. He had to iodine soak it to get him out of it.
Not to go off an a tangent, but the devil crab you had mentioned, by any chance will it kill shrimp? I have a crab living in one of my rocks. I had 2 shrimps that lasted about 2 weeks then I seen my brittle star eating one. I originally thought the brittle star was the culprit but I am starting to think it might have been the crab...

 

[btldreef]

Originally Posted by Reddhead
http:///forum/post/3162761
Not to go off an a tangent, but the devil crab you had mentioned, by any chance will it kill shrimp? I have a crab living in one of my rocks. I had 2 shrimps that lasted about 2 weeks then I seen my brittle star eating one. I originally thought the brittle star was the culprit but I am starting to think it might have been the crab...
Yes, it will. I had a Xanthid Crab hitchhike on some LR that I got about a year ago. Created absolute chaos in my tank and killed quite a few fish/inverts during that time. He was only the size of a quarter when I caught him and was killing fish 5-6".

 

[btldreef]

I see that you have a 55G.
I think that the hermits are probably responsible for some of the snail deaths, but not all. How long do the snails live before they die in your tank? You may not be acclimating them properly.
Anyways, here's what I'd have for a CUC:
5-10 Cerith Snails - they eat diatoms
5-10 Nassarius snails (if you have a sand bed) - they stir the sand bed and eat left over fish food
10 Trochus or Astrea snails - algae eaters
5-10 Mexican Reef Hermits - they stay smaller than the blue knuckles and scarlets and are less likely to kill your snails for their shells
2 Skunk Cleaner Shrimp
1 or 2 Emerald Crabs - keep an eye on them, I have had more than one eat my coralline algae and refuse to put another one in my tank
If you want to sift the sand more than the nassarius do, get a sand sifting goby, like the Diamond Goby.
For Algae control you can also try a Lawnmower Blenny. But you can only have one blenny per tank so choose wisely with fish.

 

[reddhead]

Originally Posted by BTLDreef
http:///forum/post/3162765
Yes, it will. I had a Xanthid Crab hitchhike on some LR that I got about a year ago. Created absolute chaos in my tank and killed quite a few fish/inverts during that time. He was only the size of a quarter when I caught him and was killing fish 5-6".
How did you catch him?

 

[btldreef]

Originally Posted by Reddhead
http:///forum/post/3164427
How did you catch him?
We actually had to break out rock open with a screw driver to get him out. We tried raising the salinity in a bucket, luring it out with food, picking at him with forceps, nothing worked so we broke the rock out of frustration, it was 2am when we finally gave up.

 

[d-man]

so I don't really think this is the problem for you guys (but I did not think it was my problem) but I was having some trouble keeping inverts (especially snails) for a bit, it tuned out I was having top off problems and the 1-2 gal of evaporation in a 29 and top off was causing too much of a salinity change. I added a 10 gal fuge and top off more often.
got to love the queen conch, it digs like a nuss and climbs like a turbo

 

[dreighter1]

I went to my lfs the other day and and got some snails and wanted to get some nassarius snails put the guy said it could eat fish and shrimp. is this true?

 

[btldreef]

Originally Posted by dreighter1
http:///forum/post/3164697
I went to my lfs the other day and and got some snails and wanted to get some nassarius snails put the guy said it could eat fish and shrimp. is this true?
What?!? If they're dead they will. I've always kept nassarius in my tank, they're so slow, the could NEVER catch a live fish or shrimp. I did have an anthias die that the nassarius ate (thank goodness, because I really didn't want to tear my rocks apart to get it out) but that's about it on the eating fish front.