Cuc when the tank is ready

grammygigi

grammygigi

Member
10 hermits (mix)
10 nassarius
3 turbo/astreas snails
3 emerald crabs (my favorite)
1 cleaner shrimp
Does that sound like plenty for a 46 gal bow? Or is it too much?
Thanks in advance
Lori
 
monsinour

monsinour

Active Member
just the one shrimp? I would think about adding in a peppermint shrimp to the mix. If you can get your hand on them, everyone raves about Trouchus snails.
 
lil.guppy

lil.guppy

Active Member
Since you are just starting out that is a good start but I would lower the number of Emeralds you put in there to 1 or 2
Once your tank establishes more you are going to want to add more snails or crabs.
 
grammygigi

grammygigi

Member
Ok, tonight I can see the start of the brown algae bloom on the sand bed. That means it's time for the hermits and snails, right? If not, then when should I put them in? I don't want to wait till the algae is out of hand to take care of it.
Thanks for your replies in advance :)
Lori
 
grammygigi

grammygigi

Member

Quote:Originally Posted by Monsinour http:///forum/thread/381820/cuc-when-the-tank-is-ready#post_3328409
just the one shrimp?  I would think about adding in a peppermint shrimp to the mix.  If you can get your hand on them, everyone raves about Trouchus snails.
Oooh... I'm not sure I like that idea, the last time I put peppermint shrimp in my tank, they ate my zoa's, and ripped them apart! I had single zoa's floating around. And they were a very big nuisance in my tank, I had to make a bottle trap to get them out. What a mess they made.
I don't mind the cleaner shrimp, should I put two of those in instead? Would it be ok to have two cleaners in one system?
Let me know, I appreciate your advice :)
Lori
 
mylady

mylady

Member
Yes, two cleaner shrimp would be fine. I know we were told the skunk shrimp were good at cleaning but since I wanted a fire shrimp we were advised against mixing the skunk with the fire. Hope this helps! (Monsinours wife :) )
 
grammygigi

grammygigi

Member
Well, I went about 40 mins to a better lfs, I bought 1 emerald crab, 4 blue leg hermits, one scarlet hermit, 1 Mexican turbo, and 2 aster snails. Also bought an 8 ounce cup of live sand with a bit of rubble in it, and 2.5 lbs of live rock.
The guy started talking to me, and my daughter ended up buying a hob skimmer for me for christmas and a i bought a korrilla to add flow/movement in the tank.
I'll put those in this week.
Any advice?
Lori
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
Quote:
Originally Posted by GrammyGIGI http:///forum/thread/381820/cuc-when-the-tank-is-ready#post_3328400
10 hermits (mix)
10 nassarius
3 turbo/astreas snails
3 emerald crabs (my favorite)
1 cleaner shrimp
Does that sound like plenty for a 46 gal bow? Or is it too much?
Thanks in advance
Lori
From experience, I can say that Cleaner shrimp just do better in pairs for whatever reason and in your size tank, I'd definitely recommend 2.
3 emerald crabs are fine, but I don't think your tank is established enough for them just yet...
Look into some Trochus snails. I hear they are hard to find in some locations, I have never had an issue here in NY though.
That looks like a good list to start with. You may find that you need more, but that can always be added as you go along. Since you're starting to see diatoms, I'd say it's time to add the Nassarius snails and hermits and see how it goes.
 
gemmy

gemmy

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by BTLDreef http:///forum/thread/381820/cuc-when-the-tank-is-ready#post_3328957
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gemmy http:///forum/thread/381820/cuc-when-the-tank-is-ready#post_3328951
I can only keep one cleaner in my 55. The second dies for some unknown reason.

I've always added mine in pairs, so I'm not sure.
I tried a pair and a week later one died, and I tried to replace it a couple of times but no luck. I acclimate them through the drip method. I just gave up and the cleaner I have is doing well.
 
grammygigi

grammygigi

Member
The skimmer is a prizm hob, and the power head is a korrilla 425 maxi jet.
I didn't buy as much as I wanted for a cuc, the lfs didn't have nassarius and they had only a handful of hermits, about a 8th the size of a dime... I bought 4of those, and one scarlet who's a bit bigger and they charged me 12 bucks for just the 5 hermits! The 3 snails were 3/$10.00 and the emerald was $10.00 for just the one. They are super expensive at that place, next order goes through swf.com to be sure!!
I bought 2.5 lbs of live rock, and that was 7.99 a lb. I do see copepods crawling all over it though, so that kinda makes up for some of the cost I guess...
Would be great if something cool, like a scooter blennie crawled out of the rock or something neat like that... Just sayin' lol
I will put the skimmer on the tank Wednesday, so my daughter, the one who bought it for me, can help with it. She wants to learn how to do all of this swf stuff, she wants to put a tank up too. :) she love the hammerheads, and frog spawn, corals in general. She wants a nano like I used to have. We'd. Is when she isn't working, so we'd. It is.
Lori
 
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