Clean up crew?

[spontuzak]

I've had hermits, snails, emeralds in the past. Now I have nothing. I understand the importance of them, just looking for some advise. How many and what species? Do they eat coraline algae? I have a 48g and just recently battled a hair algae problem.
Looking for all the help I can get...
Thanks.

 

[slitherbomb]

Urchins and small astern stars eat coraline. You can try a Mexican turbo snail, 15-20 nassarius snails, 5-10 turbo snails, and 10-20 hermits.

 

[carey]

Do you like the cuc members? Remember they are not an absolute must.

I keep mainly narcisuss snails cause I love feeding them. lol

In my 125g reef I have about 6 hermits (really really big ones), and 40 of those snails. thats about it. I have a seahare if you wanna consider him cleanup crew but I don't really have algae issues so I'm happy where i am.

 

[rive1404]

Sometimes I think people go overboard with their CUC. +1 for nassarius snails. They're detrivores and will clean the substrate of waste and excess food. Plus they're fun to watch when you feed the tank.

I'm not a fan of hermit crabs, though. They irritate my coral, but they are a nice addition to the tank and CUC, nonetheless.

Emerald crabs seem to be a staple in most CUC. Voracious algae eaters, even hair algae in my experience.

Turbo snails get huge. They act like bulldozers. I try to stay away from them myself.

If your tank is mature enough, an urchin is a neat addition. As slitherbomb stated, it will eat coraline and other algae. You can supplement with nori wrapper attached to a rock or something.

Sometimes, less is more. Experiment and see what floats your boat-that's the fun part anyway.

 

[jsmith]

In my 55g I have 5 chestnut turbos maybe 2 large hermits a couple small reds and blues and maybe 1 or two normal turbos.. I gave a couple shrimp too.. but I hate to jinxs myself but I've never had an issue with algae...

 

[spontuzak]

I just got a sea hair, 10 turbos,10 red legged hermits, and a lawnmower Blenny. Expensive cuc, but I think it'll pay off. Any acclimating hints?

 

[slitherbomb]

Temperature acclimated then throw in. Except the blenny. Drip acclimate him.

 

[carey]

Do you have enough algae for the sea hare and lawnmower? They BOTH will eat immense amounts.

I got lucky with my lawnmower in that he eats everything, including meat items. lol Now the sea hare, I supplement his algae with alage sheets clipped to the glass on the bottom of the tank. I've had mine for about 6 months and he's about quadrupled in size.

ALSO, the sea hares can get sucked up by almost anything so make sure you have no opportunities for him to get hurt. My best friend just lost her sea hare to an aquaclear 110 this week.

Good luck!