CUC recommendations for Fluval Evo

[ikimonogakari]

Hello all,
I have a Fluval Evo with a few fish in:
1 clown fish
1 Watchman Goby
1 Pistol Shrimp
1 Bicolor Blenny

I've heard various suggestions for CUC in the tank but would like to get a bit better consensus as some red and long hair algae has been creeping in as of late. I currently have a conch and a couple of blue hermit crabs in there along with 2 nassarius snails. I've had a peppermint shrimp in the past but they never last more than a couple weeks. How many and what type of snails would you recommend and should I get more crabs? Thanks for everyone's help!

 

[Euphyllia97]

I always recommend to keep or crabs, or snails. So it might be wise to take a direction :) In almost every tank I have owned, my hermit crabs ended up killing my nassarius snails. The only type of snails they have left untouched are my trochus snails, which are doing an amazing job of keeping the glass clean. I also have a babylonia that they don’t dare to touch as it’s huge.

With hermits:
You can maybe add a couple of trochus snails and an emerald crab (leaves the snails alone when fed properly).

Otherwise I would remove the hermits and go snails only. Trochus, nassarius, nerite. You can later on adjust the amounts of snails depending on where the cuc requires some more help. (Sandbed, glass, rocks,…)

 

[ikimonogakari]

I always recommend to keep or crabs, or snails. So it might be wise to take a direction :) In almost every tank I have owned, my hermit crabs ended up killing my nassarius snails. The only type of snails they have left untouched are my trochus snails, which are doing an amazing job of keeping the glass clean. I also have a babylonia that they don’t dare to touch as it’s huge.

With hermits:
You can maybe add a couple of trochus snails and an emerald crab (leaves the snails alone when fed properly).

Otherwise I would remove the hermits and go snails only. Trochus, nassarius, nerite. You can later on adjust the amounts of snails depending on where the cuc requires some more help. (Sandbed, glass, rocks,…)

So removing the hermits, would leave 1 conch, 2 nassarius. How many of other snails would you recommend? This is where comments usually fluctuate. Are we thinking 1-2 of a couple types or like 4-5? Thanks for your insight!

 

[Euphyllia97]

So removing the hermits, would leave 1 conch, 2 nassarius. How many of other snails would you recommend? This is where comments usually fluctuate. Are we thinking 1-2 of a couple types or like 4-5? Thanks for your insight!

I would go for 2-3 snails and around 4 types.
So 2-3 nassarius (which you already have)
2-3 Nerite
2-3 Cerith
2-3 trochus

But it really depends on your feeding habits and how much algae is in your tank. If your tank is really clean stick to 2 and maybe feed a bit extra in the long term. If tank is having a lot of algae (stable and not due to “uglies”) go for 3 and wait for the results

 

[Kodski]

A personal favorite of mine and one that hermits will leave alone due to lack of a substantial shell is the Stomatella Snail. Great little critters that will also reproduce inside our aquariums. I'd add 10 to what you have now. They are nocturnal so you'll rarely see them, but you'll see the impact they make.

Another cool thing, since they are soft shelled, they fit into pretty tight areas well. I will often times find them crammed into my powerhead mounts when I take them off for cleaning. You'd never think they could fit in there, but they do!

Aside from that, a couple ceriths would do good, but as mentioned, hermits love to kill them and steal their shells. Trochus work well with stomatella snails because while stomatellas will clean the glass, they tend to clean the rockwork more. Trochus I find prefer the glass surfaces. So they kinda work as a team in that regard.

 

[ikimonogakari]

A personal favorite of mine and one that hermits will leave alone due to lack of a substantial shell is the Stomatella Snail. Great little critters that will also reproduce inside our aquariums. I'd add 10 to what you have now. They are nocturnal so you'll rarely see them, but you'll see the impact they make.

Another cool thing, since they are soft shelled, they fit into pretty tight areas well. I will often times find them crammed into my powerhead mounts when I take them off for cleaning. You'd never think they could fit in there, but they do!

Aside from that, a couple ceriths would do good, but as mentioned, hermits love to kill them and steal their shells. Trochus work well with stomatella snails because while stomatellas will clean the glass, they tend to clean the rockwork more. Trochus I find prefer the glass surfaces. So they kinda work as a team in that regard.

Thanks! So same, like 10 trochuses ?

 

[Kodski]

Thanks! So same, like 10 trochuses ?

Nooo, in your tank, probably like 2-3

 

[Euphyllia97]

A personal favorite of mine and one that hermits will leave alone due to lack of a substantial shell is the Stomatella Snail. Great little critters that will also reproduce inside our aquariums. I'd add 10 to what you have now. They are nocturnal so you'll rarely see them, but you'll see the impact they make.

Another cool thing, since they are soft shelled, they fit into pretty tight areas well. I will often times find them crammed into my powerhead mounts when I take them off for cleaning. You'd never think they could fit in there, but they do!

Aside from that, a couple ceriths would do good, but as mentioned, hermits love to kill them and steal their shells. Trochus work well with stomatella snails because while stomatellas will clean the glass, they tend to clean the rockwork more. Trochus I find prefer the glass surfaces. So they kinda work as a team in that regard.

+1 if you are able to find stomatella snails, definitely go for some of those!

 

[Kodski]

+1 if you are able to find stomatella snails, definitely go for some of those!

There is a local guy to me who sells them. He has a listing for Stomatella and micro brittle stars here in the livestock sale forum.

Wisconsin - Live Goods - Micro Brittle Stars + Stomatella Snails + Gracilaria + Asterina

Hey y’all. I have amazing striped micro brittle stars, stomatellas, gracillaria, and asterina available for sale. These have bred well for me in my system and are a tremendous addition to the clean up crew. They seem to keep the system very clean and algae free. ADDITIONAL ITEMS...

www.reef2reef.com