Turbo and urchins are good, can bulldoze corals if not glued down and get big. Emerald crabs, Ime, are fine. Arrow crabs and sally light foot are not, Ime, but any crab can go ‘rogue’. GL, and remember in the first year of reef aquariums manual removal is most important when real estate for algae to grow is available. After it gets easier. Also look into algae Blenny fish like a Tail Spot Blenny or lawnmower Blenny.
Well, my LFS just messaged me yesterday night saying that they do not have many CUC. They only have some turbo snails ( I'm getting 3) and lawnmower blennies ( I'm getting 1). They also said they have trochus snails and cowrie ring snails, are these good CUC ?
Yes to both.
Very disappointing. When I read you are planning on adding a Blenny I was considering asking if you QT your fish, which in my opinion is a must. Thought maybe you were getting bombarded with advice so I didn’t. QT fish is just part of the long term success in the hobby. It’s important to determine what happened to the clowns. Post pics when alive might help? I qt all fish before they enter display tank.
I dont really have photos of them when they were alive. They were very healthy and had no symptoms for 1 and a half months. I do have photos of their bodies, will that help ?Very disappointing. When I read you are planning on adding a Blenny I was considering asking if you QT your fish, which in my opinion is a must. Thought maybe you were getting bombarded with advice so I didn’t. QT fish is just part of the long term success in the hobby. It’s important to determine what happened to the clowns. Post pics when alive might help? I qt all fish before they enter display tank.
Ok, need to start Qt fishing before placing in DT. As stated, it is a must to achieve long term success in the hobby. I suggest TTM with 2 h2o2 dips, which might seem difficult but it’s easy. Algae management and qt fish are, imo, the two most important skills in the hobby, if you master those the rest is easy and fun.
No! Have expectations about fish and corals. 2 clowns is good and reasonable for a 20 gallon, maybe add a Blenny for algae control is even better. Think in terms of everything added to the aquarium provides a service. CUC, Blenny to help manage algae, proper and diligent maintenance by you to keep nutrients low, clowns to provide nh4 to the corals, and your filters to remove excess in between WC. You were on your way and made some good decisions and progress. Do some more research about the basics. There are some very good books so you can get a foundation and avoid all the noise here. Here is a great book to start with….
Wow! That sparked some motivation in me. I'm going to buy CUC tomorrow, and order just a few macroalgae to help maintain low nutrients. Do you have any suggestions on what corals I could get ?No! Have expectations about fish and corals. 2 clowns is good and reasonable for a 20 gallon, maybe add a Blenny for algae control is even better. Think in terms of everything added to the aquarium provides a service. CUC, Blenny to help manage algae, proper and diligent maintenance by you to keep nutrients low, clowns to provide nh4 to the corals, and your filters to remove excess in between WC. You were on your way and made some good decisions and progress. Do some more research about the basics. There are some very good books so you can get a foundation and avoid all the noise here. Here is a great book to start with….
