Recommendations for 55gal BARE BOTTOM reef

[Millerjustin992]

Hey guys, so, asking for little bit of help on what fish and CUC to have for my 55gal bare bottom, soon LPS mix reef. I have 3 chromis and 4 clowns right now, 3 bumblebee snails, 4 black margarita snails, 4 turbo snails, and 10 blue leg hermits. I know I need more CUC to keep up with the demand, but what kinda fish could I add? Looking at getting a wrasse, but what kind would be fine?
also, I have a 30gal Sump, 25gal water volume roughly, with a fuge. What if any CUC could I put In the sump?

 

[Victor_C3]

As far as CUC in the sump, I say don’t put anything in there. The point of the refugium/sump is to grow algae so you can manually remove it for nutrient export. If your CUC eats what’s growing in the fuge, it’ll just put the nutrients (phosphates) back into the water for them to grow elsewhere in your tank (i.e. your display tank).

In the past, I’ve always liked adding a blue tuxedo urchin to my cleanup crew. The same goes with a peppermint shrimp, they are great for aptasia control.

I’ve tried adding different invertebrates in the past, but it seems to me that most die off and I end up with the same handful of dwarf hermits and turbo snails after a few weeks. I’d be interested in hearing what others have to say on this.