Self sustaining CuC

TCoach · Apr 20, 2022

I’d like to order some more members for my CuC but I’d like to get ones that can hopefully reproduce and self-sustain so I’m not constantly having to rebuy and/or have them come out of the ocean.

What are some good options for this?

Absolutely Fish · Apr 20, 2022

This is a bit difficult because of the amount of natural predation amongst reef inhabitants. I have seen banded trochus snails ( algae grazers) and nassarius snails (sand sifting) reproduce. However it’s not a guarantee. I would recommend loading up with amphipods. They are great scavengers and reproduce rapidly. Good luck

Glenner’sreef · Apr 20, 2022

Having the right number of snails is certainly key. Too many and they eat everything and then start to starve to death. With hermit crabs having additional shells of different sizes is key as well so that they can grow into larger shells. Sand sifters: snails, star fish and conches are usually a win because substrate often times stays dirty. A food source for them. I see quite a few tanks and baby cucs are rarely seen.

reeftankdude · Apr 20, 2022

Glenner’sreef said:
Having the right number of snails is certainly key. Too many and they eat everything and then start to starve to death. With hermit crabs having additional shells of different sizes is key as well so that they can grow into larger shells. Sand sifters: snails, star fish and conches are usually a win because substrate often times stays dirty. A food source for them. I see quite a few tanks and baby cucs are rarely seen.

Why do they have to starve to death. Just chop up some algae wafers dropped on the sand bed about twice a week.

sixty_reefer · Apr 20, 2022

Dove snails (Columbellidae) it’s your best bet, they reproduce very quickly in home aquaria.

Dan_P · Apr 20, 2022

TCoach said:
I’d like to order some more members for my CuC but I’d like to get ones that can hopefully reproduce and self-sustain so I’m not constantly having to rebuy and/or have them come out of the ocean.

What are some good options for this?

Just a thought. The CUC might be dying of starvation.

Absolutely Fish · Apr 20, 2022

Absolutely Fish said:
This is a bit difficult because of the amount of natural predation amongst reef inhabitants. I have seen banded trochus snails ( algae grazers) and nassarius snails (sand sifting) reproduce. However it’s not a guarantee. I would recommend loading up with amphipods. They are great scavengers and reproduce rapidly. Good luck

Dan_P said:
Just a thought. The CUC might be dying of starvation.

I think by CuC he is referring to clean up crew not cucumber

DaJMasta · Apr 20, 2022

You shouldn't have to constantly rebuy them, certainly less than yearly restocking and you should have plenty lasting longer, but a lot of the popular ones have larval stages which simply won't survive in a reef tank without moving the new larvae into another vessel and feeding them live foods. Given the inexpensive price of most of these organisms and their plentiful and quickly replenishing place in nature which allows them to be sustainably harvested in many cases, people generally haven't prioritized aquaculture of them with all of its difficulty and expense.

There are some that can reproduce in captivity in normal tank conditions, and if you want to try to raise them, most types will still lay eggs in a home aquarium, so it may be worth trying for your own interest, but covering all the standard CUC member bases with something that will reproduce in a home tank without collecting and raising the larvae may be pretty tough.

As mentioned, trochus, dove snails, and stomatella snails are all good options, but you're going to have a real tough time finding any crab without a delicate larval stage and I don't know if sand sifting snails or conchs can be had that don't have that same larval stage.