CUC TURNOVER… how often, and how much.

[TonyCagg]

My 200gal tank is going on just about 5 months now.

Since I first completed my cycle I have worked to establish as book and healthy a biome as possible, including a diverse and sold CUC, as well as 4 copepod stockings, approximately 2 gallons in total so far.

CUC ADDITIONS TO DATE
• 40 Astrea Snails
• 40 Trochus Snails
• 5 Turbo Snails
• 10 Nasasarius Snails
• 80 Blue Leg Hermits
• 2 Emerald Crabs
• 2 Pitho Crabs
• 2 Peppermint Shrimp
• 2 Banded Coral Shrimp
• 1 Blood Shrimp
• 3 Sand Sifting Starfish
• 1 Sand Sifting Reef Cucumber
• Pincushion Urchins

As of late hermits crab numbers are down, and several of the ones left are now wearing astrea shells (which are also down in numbers). Haven’t seen a peppermint shrimp in a couple of weeks, and one emerald crab made a rare appearance earlier this week.

It’s starting to show that the CUC numbers are down, so ordered some replacements and additional to the collecting this week.

My question is, how often do you add new CUC, and in what kind of numbers?

 

[Reef By Steele Verified Sponsor]

Do you have extra shells for the blue legs in your tank. They rehome as they grow so empty shells larger than they started are a must. They may be taking shells from the astrea, this could be predation if they don’t have a selection to choose from. It could also be that the astrea have flipped over and died, as they are not really able to self right on their own.

From my understanding you should only have one coral banded in a tank as they can fight each other. Might have enough real estate in a 200 to avoid this but beware.

Depending on how much rock you have, the peppermint may be hiding, as I have often gone a while without seeing any. You might want to view at night as some of them are nocturnal.

As to replenishing, really depends on losses. Many you listed have lifespans of three years or more, so should t have to be replaced unless they are being preyed on or die due to lack of food, high nitrates or getting stuck etc.

That being said, I would replace based on performance and tank appearance. If numbers seem low and the tank isn’t staying as clean as you would like, make some additions.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I beef up my cuc crew once a year.

I don't get as much as you do though, I feel thats really a lot.

 

[TonyCagg]

Do you have extra shells for the blue legs in your tank. They rehome as they grow so empty shells larger than they started are a must. They may be taking shells from the astrea, this could be predation if they don’t have a selection to choose from. It could also be that the astrea have flipped over and died, as they are not really able to self right on their own.

From my understanding you should only have one coral banded in a tank as they can fight each other. Might have enough real estate in a 200 to avoid this but beware.

Depending on how much rock you have, the peppermint may be hiding, as I have often gone a while without seeing any. You might want to view at night as some of them are nocturnal.

As to replenishing, really depends on losses. Many you listed have lifespans of three years or more, so should t have to be replaced unless they are being preyed on or die due to lack of food, high nitrates or getting stuck etc.

That being said, I would replace based on performance and tank appearance. If numbers seem low and the tank isn’t staying as clean as you would like, make some additions.

The Coral Banded Shrimp “duked it out” at the beginning but they have claimed their areas and I haven’t seen them near one another since those first few days.

I have been checking at night, will continue to do so, to see if the peppermints turn up.
Last night around midnight was first time I’ve seen the Cucumber in a while, so that was cool. One of the emeralds turned up as well.

It’s amazing to me how well these animals can stay hidden in the tank.

Been looking things over, trying to get a realistic assessment of where the CUC numbers are at now. Snails and hermits have certainly dropped but the rest seems pretty solid.

Plan to add more nassarius snails to try and get the sand bed back where it was, and maybe a conch or two to help turn things over

 

[Reef By Steele Verified Sponsor]

Glad you are seeing some of them. We used to go weeks or more and not see some of our shrimp, then boom they were back.

 

[winxp_man]

I dont see bristle worms on the list……

 

[Reef By Steele Verified Sponsor]

I dont see bristle worms on the list……

Maybe i should harvest and sell them.

 

[winxp_man]

Maybe i should harvest and sell them.

Okay hear me out I have a business proposition hahaha!

On a real note, i have bristle up to 5-7” in my tank. Along side 5 nasaris, 5 Mexican turbo snails, two tuxedo urchins, a few assassin snails (I feel they are all dead but week after week they prove me wrong haha), and a ton of bristles, bottom of the tank is spotless, before my recent ich outbreak had 12 fish, (my powder brown didn’t make it) so now 11. But with 12 fish I count see a single fish trud one of the cuc members sure eats em up! Then as the powder brown passed in was gone in two days! This was a 2.5” fish!

Bristles are next level at cleaning if you ask me. Many do hate them tho hahaha!

 

[stevolough]

Remember a new tank doesn’t really have a lot to clean up if you’re slowly stocking it

 

[Crabs+Shrimps-69]

Like what @Reef By Steele said, provide empty shells for the hermits crabs and snail murders will drop significantly.