It's like they all disappeared over night! So do you have a set schedule to replenish?

[Nate h]

Most of the places that have them for sale have just a massive amount that they recommend for tank sizes in cleaner packs that they sell. I have a few different types of snails and a couple crabs and that is it. They have been in the tank for over a year now. I think it is all about a reasonable amount in the tank to help keep them around.

 

[Malifry97]

I've only ever had to replenish my clean up crew a few times. I get enough that they seem to self regulate. I have snail eggs all over the place, and i'm hopeful that some of them make it to adulthood. But in the 5 years i've been reefing, I've only placed 3 clean up crew orders.

Same!

 

[jasonrusso]

I've only ever had to replenish my clean up crew a few times. I get enough that they seem to self regulate. I have snail eggs all over the place, and i'm hopeful that some of them make it to adulthood. But in the 5 years i've been reefing, I've only placed 3 clean up crew orders.

I see eggs all the time, but I have never seen baby snails.

 

[Gareth elliott]

To reduce my cleanup crew purchases.
This all opinion lol

1). My Snails always outnumber my hermits 5:1, if a hermit takes a snail shell, i still have plenty.
2). I do not buy turbo snails. I have a fromia starfish thats three years old, but turbos never live longer than a few months for me. So i do not buy them.
3.) i stick with the same species that have worked for a tank. Ceriths, whatever species the cyano eating ones from @PacificEastAquaculture are, and red bands.
4.). Feed them, once a week i drop a heavy piece of food so it makes it to the sandbed.

 

[jasonrusso]

I buy a CUC basically as snacks for this guy. I'll get 25-30 nerites. They last a week or so. Astreas have a thicker shell. His favorite are nassarius, he blows the sand to expose them, lol. For some reason, he has never eaten a bumblebee snail.

 

[Treenk]

So only 2 months into the tank and it seems I've had both problems already... at first snails and crabs dying all over... now I've seen around a dozen of baby snails everywhere no idea where they came. It seems to be 2 different kinds too(I bought 3 kinds), I'm wondering if they came with the chaeto.

 

[stanleo]

In ten months I’ve lost a couple hermits but that’s it. It sounds like you may have too many. I read that having too many causes them to die off quicker because they run out of food and their decay causes a spike in nutrient levels that feeds an algae outbreak

 

[Tastee]

My tank is only a little over 2 years old but so far everyone is growing well including the CUC. I have 3 or 4 Trochus snails, a Nassarius snail and a Hermit that are all 2YO. Sand Sifter Starfish 18 month old. 4 Money Cowries 1YO. I know the Hermit (Crazy) can live to ~20 but will be interested to see how long the others last. The snails keep laying eggs but nothing has hatched yet that I have seen.

 

[mich2599]

Once a year or so...mine don't seem to be reproducing

 

[living_tribunal]

Stop treating your CUC as disposable tools, they are animals too!

I hate it when people get like 3 cuc per gallon, and complain when they’re nutrients go crazy when half of them die from lack of food.

 

[living_tribunal]

same




they are worth every penny. The sooner you get them the better. I started with 6 and have stocked up two tanks.

+1 I love my trochus.

 

[Doctorgori]

I think the number of snail recommend is wrong...I keep maybe 3-4 Large turbos in a 210, they seem to live for years if enough algae is around...my advise is not to clean the glass daily... also Im pretty sure hermits do kill snails

 

[AlexG]

I have not replenished my cleanup crew in quite a while now. I have a few Mexican turbos in my reef. The black foot trochus snails I have breed and I get some babies in my sump, refugium, and frag tank. I have limpet snail hitchhikers that are breeding in the tank and are great algae eaters. I have a few varieties of small chitons, that breed in the tank. I do have starfish breeding in the tank and from what I can tell the variety that I have is not harming my corals. I got some nassarius snails that also breed as there are way more of them then when I started. I also have a couple other varieties of other snails that are small and only come out at night. I have a few hermit crabs which I think need to be replenished from time to time and cerith snails never took off in my tank which I think might also need a replenish. I used to have a lot of urchins in my reef as well but I moved them all over to my big fish tank where some of them have become meals.

 

[NewGoby]

Would liked to have seen an option for "No they don't seem to dissapear overnight".

I feel like if your CUC dies off slowly, you have too many CUC members to feed your entire crew (if it isn't old age or a disease)

 

[PurpleMonsterSlayer]

I couldn’t answer this poll since I haven’t bought any clean up crew in years besides the occasional bumble bee snails. My astrea Mexican turbos and scarlet hermit crabs reproduce on the regular I usually end up selling them or giving them away to good homes.

 

[Cherie cook]

I’ve found that my melanarus wrasse dines on snails regularly.