When to add CUC

[cicrush13]

Hey guys first time posting here. I just set up my tank (29 gallon Biocube)
about a month ago and add a fish here this weekend. Overnight, I surely have this brown algae on everything. I have cycled with Dr Tim’s and ammonia is 0, nitrate is 20 and nitrite is coming down at 0.5.

My question is when is it appropriate to add a cleanup crew after adding your first fish?

And then what kind of crew members should I be getting based on the algae and situation in my tank?

 

[StartingATank]

I would say once you get a fish, get CUC before or at same time. I would say start with some snails and hermit crabs. Try some astraeas or trochus or turbos, and red or blue leg hermits

 

[cicrush13]

What would be the right amount and who would handle brown algae the best?

 

[StartingATank]

The brown algae is likely Dinos or diatoms, which nothing really eats. It will kill itself off eventually. I would start off with maybe 3 hermits and a few snails of any kind. I find trochus are the rock cleaners, turbos everything, but they tend to die on me, nassarius are sand cleaners, and astraea are glass cleaners. So I would say go with 2 astraea 2 trochus 2 nassarius and 3 blue leg hermits. And if you can get some, get some stomatella snails.

 

[steveschuerger]

I use ReefCleaners, partly cause they have good prices but also cause the stock is healthy . The one time ups dropped the ball for handling of the livestock I got a quick replacement as well. I have a 25 gallon and I used snails only for first batch of cuc. This was my package I put together. Worked really well with majority of algae gone in under a week

 

[SantaMonica Verified Sponsor]

You could start slowly... 1 fish and 1 CUC per week.