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alyxandria

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
May 5, 2014
Messages
697
Hi there. So, in my itty bitty town I have itty bitty selection when it comes to saltwater. There's basically one couple just out of town that orders in fish to sell.

Right now I'm running a 20G FOWLR (to-be reef) and am in the process of setting up a 29G display/10G sump that I'm hoping to have up within the next few weeks. I'm trying to figure out what to keep as a CUC but am not really sure what I should go with. (I will order other stuff myself once it gets a bit warmer - I'm in Ontario, Canada.) Here's what they have available:

ImageUploadedByAquarium Advice1419811863.175599.jpg

I was thinking red/blue leg hermits because they eat lots of different algaes. I've read that the blue leg will kill snails for their shells - if I put extra shells in will this prevent this or should I stick with red leg?

The Astraea snails I don't know if I want because I've read they aren't good climbers and if they are knocked over they can't right themselves and will die. Am I going to be flipping these buggers over daily?

I was going to get a peppermint shrimp for sure because they eat aiptasia and glass anemones. (I know only some have an appetite for it) The only thing I was wondering is how many I should go with. One? Two?

I have an emerald crab and was hoping to get a couple more but also wasn't sure how many I could put in.

So, my question is are there other cleaner inverts I should look into getting in the spring and in the meantime should I go with some of these available now? And how many? I've read a million different x/gallon rules so I'd like to hear your suggestions. Thanks. :)
 
Go to reef cleaners and get one of johns 30g packs and split it between the 2 tanks. Trust me you'll have more than enough ;)


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I am taking down the existing 20G so it will only be one tank. Sorry forgot to mention that. Also, Ive looked at that but I'm concerned about the shipping as I'm in Canada and the average temperatures for this month are between -10 to -2 C (15-29F). Another concern is that anything I order from the states (as most don't ship international or charge an arm and leg) I need to go across the bridge to northern Michigan to pick up at the post office and bring back home. Depending on the lineup through customs it's usually about 30-60 minutes in the car. Do you think it would be alright?
 
I would skip the "cuc" entirely. You don't need snails or crabs at all. Control nuisance algae by adequate nutrient export and reasonable feeding. If you are going to have algae problems, crabs and snails will not stop it from happening.
As for things surviving in the car, Every sea critter you see on line or in stores makes multiple overnight trips in bags overnight in all types of weather. Barring post office mistakes or damaged containers, they should be fine.
 
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