Help with cuc 20 cube

[Matt Miller]

I need help replacing/choosing my cuc and moving forward.

I'm reading the stickys and think the only thing in my tank I should keep is the maybe peppermint shrimp...

2 nassarius snails
1 astaea snail(already killed)
1 margarita snail
1 peppermint shrimp

Since they are already in the tank I'm going to get the snails, shrimp and crabs in my dt for 76 days and add the quarantined fish after. What I want to start with is this:

3 pom pom crabs
3 sexy shrimp

The peppermint shrimp can stay or go, I've spent so long planning this out and still messed up by putting snails in the DT so I'm going backwards now.

My lfs orders on Sundays so hopefully I can get this ordered tomorrow then by summer I can be adding a couple clowns.

Tank is cycled 20 wb cube with about 1.5" sand and stock plans are 2 clowns and anemones.

 

[Matt Miller]

Dwarf cerith
planaxas
Colonista
Some I'm considering

 

[Matt Miller]

Nerites x2
Trochus x1
Turban snail x2
planaxas
Dwarf cerith

I think this is what I'll try to get, any input on this list?

 

[Zoa_Fanatic]

Nerites x2
Trochus x1
Turban snail x2
planaxas
Dwarf cerith

I think this is what I'll try to get, any input on this list?

That is really light I feel like. I’ve got a biocube 32 led and I have 5 dwarf hermits (1 scarlet, 3 dwarf blue legs, 1 dwarf zebra), 8 astrea turbo snails, 10 (I think maybe more) dwarf ceriths, and a sand sifting conch and I still have dust algea on my glass ans red slime on my rock. Oh and like 20 nassarius (they breed like rabbits in my tank). Everyone is alive and doing well. Algea is gonna grow bo matter what and you’ll have excess food you don’t see from feeding laying around.

 

[Zoa_Fanatic]

I forgot to add I would avoid crabs all together. Emerald and porcelain crabs are two of the most reef safe and I had an emerald eat some white zombies zoa and a porcelain of my dads ate two of his spectacularly colored chromis. If a crab gets hungry anything becomes food. If you absolutely want crabs I would get dwarf zebra hermits. They’re super tiny, they’re pretty, and they eat any type of algea. My little dude mauls red slime.

 

[Matt Miller]

I forgot to add I would avoid crabs all together. Emerald and porcelain crabs are two of the most reef safe and I had an emerald eat some white zombies zoa and a porcelain of my dads ate two of his spectacularly colored chromis. If a crab gets hungry anything becomes food. If you absolutely want crabs I would get dwarf zebra hermits. They’re super tiny, they’re pretty, and they eat any type of algea. My little dude mauls red slime.

I do plan on avoiding all cuc crabs, the only ones I want are pom pom crabs. I just may have to look into zebra hermits now though....lol

Sounds like I definitely need to bulk up on my initial thoughts on snail numbers though, thanks for the input.

 

[Zoa_Fanatic]

I do plan on avoiding all cuc crabs, the only ones I want are pom pom crabs. I just may have to look into zebra hermits now though....lol

Sounds like I definitely need to bulk up on my initial thoughts on snail numbers though, thanks for the input.

I mean you can get by with just a few but I always buy snails when I see them. I hardly ever lose mine to anything but hermit predation occasionally and stupidity because they can’t flip themselves over

 

[Research Monkey]

I've had my 20 gallon peninsula up and running for 4 weeks or so. Cycled with Dr. Tims and added ammonia etc. Added 2 clowns and as soon as some algae showed up I went with:

2xTrochus
3xAstrea
2xNerite
1xConch
2xNassarius

I wanted to get some dwarf ceriths but couldnt find them locally. They've done a pretty good job and all seem to be going well. I could have probably went with more but I think it'll be good once I find some ceriths.

 

[Matt Miller]

I've had my 20 gallon peninsula up and running for 4 weeks or so. Cycled with Dr. Tims and added ammonia etc. Added 2 clowns and as soon as some algae showed up I went with:

2xTrochus
3xAstrea
2xNerite
1xConch
2xNassarius

I wanted to get some dwarf ceriths but couldnt find them locally. They've done a pretty good job and all seem to be going well. I could have probably went with more but I think it'll be good once I find some ceriths.

The 2 nassarius snails I have now remind me of that snail movie Turbo, as soon as there's food in the tank they are on the move. I may just pardon them for eating the astraea snail.

I'm not planning on any corals so I may keep snail population low and get a pincushion urchin if I need more power.