Best CUC Species?

[RYANLAWRENCE]

What are the best species to have for a clean up crew? All of my snails have been eaten by a hitchhiker crab that I am still trying to catch. But I need some more snails. I'm also thinking about adding hermits too. What species are best for a CUC?

 

[carey]

I personally love my hermits they seem to do the most work out of my entire crew. You just have to supply extra shells for them or they will kill most of your snails. They might kill some snails anyways for their shell. lol

How big is your tank? Any particular issues?

 

[RYANLAWRENCE]

Yes I would love some hermits. It's 40 gallons, no problem except I have a current Cyanobacteria problem because I was using treated tap water. I've now switched to ro water to help combat that. What species of hermit do you recommend?

 

[carey]

I have red legged and blue legged hermits. Very entertaining to watch. I know they eat hair algae, they've done a great job on my tank. Theres even more exotic hermits but i stuck to the basic ones

But like i said they might kill your snails if they can't find new shells.

 

[nxb161]

A lot of people warn against hermit crabs, I just wanted to say I am not one of those people. Like carey I love my hermies. I would avoid halloween crabs. I have one, and he took out some nice sand sifting snails. Right now he's rocking a shell that has a Kenya Tree on it. I also have blue and red legged. I have a good sized electric blue in my biocube 29g. only issue with the larger ones is they like to move smaller frags. So I guess long story short, hermies are good, but stick with smaller red and blue legged.

 

[Henry405]

nxb161: can you post a picture of your electric blue? I have a median small one, but he keeps hiding so I can never get a good look at him. He's been in one of my caves for the past week!

I have mostly hermits, but thats because I plan to have a dwarf lion which will prob pick on all the snails.

Heres my CUC so far:
1 large hawaiian hermit
1 large white spotted hermit
1 median small electric blue
3 small red legged
4 nassarius snails

 

[nxb161]

Here is one I JUST took, not the best pic, trying to take it with the lights off....

This is an old picture like last year old 2/26/2010

I just have to note that all the stuff you see in the background of the old picture has long been taken out of the tank. I thought it was cool since I got it out of the beach, but then worried about leaching stuff...so it came out sometime last year.

 

[Henry405]

Very nice crab, yours is significantly bigger than mine. Is your crab very shy?

 

[nxb161]

I guess that depends on how you define shy. When I feed he runs down to the sand to catch anything the fish miss. I'm just happy that I spent $5 on him 14+ months ago and he's still alive I can usually find mine, and if I can't I figure he's molting, actually he just did the other week.

 

[Henry405]

I haven't seen mine eat the food I gave him. I would even put it in front of him, but he just kinda runs away and tries to hid behind something. I'm just hoping he is eating stuff of the LR and stays alive

 

[nxb161]

that is what they're supposed to do for the most part, just eat stuff they find here and there. Mine goes a little proactive and goes for fresh food too

 

[RYANLAWRENCE]

Thanks for the help I will definitely get some hermits. Where would you get extra shells? And also the species of snail I used to have was astrea? I think? The problem with those is that they could not turn themselves over if they fell, so if they fell, they would die. Is there a species that can right itself if it falls?

 

[carey]

I got my extra shells from reefcleaners when I ordered my crew.
They are like 8 cents a piece or something silly

 

[nxb161]

you can also find them at craft places like Michaels or A.C.Moore. I just boil them and rinse with water only to make sure they are clean.

 

[Flake]

My lfs tends to just give them out if you ask. Snail death happens and they keep the shells for this reason.

If I remember right, ceriths, margaritas and turbos can all right themselves.

 

[RYANLAWRENCE]

Alright thanks guys I'll look into it

 

[RYANLAWRENCE]

So I got some hermits yesterday, I got 20 dwarf red legged. I think this was too many but I could get 20 for the same price as 10 (which I think is kinda stupid personally haha). Will this be too many? Should I supplement their diet in any way?

 

[Henry405]

20 hermits in 40g is quite a lot. Since the tank is new, there prob isnt very much algae or anything for them to eat. I would sprinkle some fish food down on the sand so they can eat that.

 

[RYANLAWRENCE]

My tanks not "new" its a year old. I have a lot of cyano and they are eating that like crazy. I might just feed kinda messy once a week or so so that they can have something to eat.

 

[Henry405]

sorry, didn't go back up to read . If theres stuff in there for them to eat, I wouldn't try feeding them so much. Let them earn their food by cleaning up for you haha