Reef custodians

[jason604]

Hi how many reef custodians do I typically need for a 75g tank? I went JL and they said to get Package #5

60 - Blue Legged Hermits
10 - Red Scarlet Hermit
20 - Astrea Snails
20 - Margarita Snails
20 - Cerith Snails

Seems way too overkill and just want to milk money from new hobbyist like me lol.

[monocus]

the thing about invertebrates is they breed.stay away from margaritas as they will just die,try some ring cowerys

[Aquattro]

That package is great. A lot of hermits, and a bag of food for the hermits :)

Hermits will just pick off the snails and each other, except when they're busy knocking stuff over. I have a couple scarlet, and have removed all the others. A couple cleaner shrimp will pick up food all day long, and a pack of snails will take care of algae. Get a few different kinds, for above and below the sand (if you have sand)

[Dearth]

CuC will help big time in cleaning up algae left over food and waste you will find that people tend to be very polarized when it comes to crabs most reefers like snails not all but most do. Hermits on the other hand reefers either love them or hate them.

The package that J&L recommends is a very good package and they will definitely help in keeping your tank clean. I love my hermits as they definitely have personality and the only time they kill my snails is for the shell.

I have found though snails when they die they tend to release a lot of things into the tank and can throw your parameters out of balance. Snails live for an average of a yr and hermits average 3-5 yrs

[jason604]

that amount of snails and crabs just seem way too overkill... i was think just like 10 hermits and 20 sails.. ive also heard that some people only go with 6 turbo snails in a 75g tank and things seem just fine... also i heard of a trick for your hermit crabs to not kill the snails is to get a bunch of empty shells n put them in the tank so the crabs can use them when they grow bigger... also do hermits really attack corals?

[Dearth]

that amount of snails and crabs just seem way too overkill... i was think just like 10 hermits and 20 sails.. ive also heard that some people only go with 6 turbo snails in a 75g tank and things seem just fine... also i heard of a trick for your hermit crabs to not kill the snails is to get a bunch of empty shells n put them in the tank so the crabs can use them when they grow bigger... also do hermits really attack corals?


It's actually not overkill if you get too few crabs and snails you would have to make up your CuC with different snails/crab or more fish both of which presents its own set of problems. Some of which might be aggressive to other invertebrates push over coral and/or rock or attack and eat other fish/coral. The package that J&L put out are full of reef safe crab and snails.

Blue hermits and red hermits are considered reef safe and will as a general rule not Touch coral they will climb all over it but not eat it.

[jason604]

what does CuC stand for?

[Dearth]

Another name for reef custodians CuC stands for Clean up Crew

[naesco]

Hi how many reef custodians do I typically need for a 75g tank? I went JL and they said to get Package #5

60 - Blue Legged Hermits
10 - Red Scarlet Hermit
20 - Astrea Snails
20 - Margarita Snails
20 - Cerith Snails

Seems way too overkill and just want to milk money from new hobbyist like me lol.

It is not only overkill it is a rip off
If you what to have a couple of hermits because you like them and they are fun to watch get a couple. Wait until they are some unusually coloured ones. Hermits are predators and eat the little critters that feed your sand bed and rock and your corals.

60 snails are guaranteed to starve in your tank, die, rot and pollute your tank. Get less than 10.

[Myka]

Hermit crabs will kill and eat snails when they get hungry, so it is not wise to house both in the same tank. Margarita Snails are temperate, so they do not tolerate tropical temperatures for very long as it increases their metabolism. The increased metabolism makes them very good algae eaters, but most do not last a year. I have always despised J&L's CUC packages - they are ridiculous.

To give you an idea, here is what I have in my tanks...

90-gallon: 5 Astraea Snails, 2 Ring Cowries, 1 Fighting Conch, 1 Black Brittle Starfish, 4 female Emerald Crabs, 2 Peppermint Shrimp, 1 Pin Cushion Urchin.

50-gallon: 2 Astraea Snails, 1 Fighting Conch, 1 female Emerald Crab, 2 Peppermint Shrimp, 1 Tuxedo Urchin.

[Madreefer]

Or better yet dont over feed. I agree with Naesco. It is a rip off. I don't have a CUC. Hermit crabs are a pain in the ass and I don't like looking at my tank and seeing a big gross looking peice of snot hanging out on the front glass.

[jason604]

I think I'm going to get the same CuC set as yours but switch brittle star for Red Sea star and red scallop because I love it's color and get like 2-3 hermits because they look cool hahha. But yea JL CuCis just a rip off!

Hermit crabs will kill and eat snails when they get hungry, so it is not wise to house both in the same tank. Margarita Snails are temperate, so they do not tolerate tropical temperatures for very long as it increases their metabolism. The increased metabolism makes them very good algae eaters, but most do not last a year. I have always despised J&L's CUC packages - they are ridiculous.

To give you an idea, here is what I have in my tanks...

90-gallon: 5 Astraea Snails, 2 Ring Cowries, 1 Fighting Conch, 1 Black Brittle Starfish, 4 female Emerald Crabs, 2 Peppermint Shrimp, 1 Pin Cushion Urchin.

50-gallon: 2 Astraea Snails, 1 Fighting Conch, 1 female Emerald Crab, 2 Peppermint Shrimp, 1 Tuxedo Urchin.

[Myka]

I think I'm going to get the same CuC set as yours but switch brittle star for Red Sea star and red scallop because I love it's color and get like 2-3 hermits because they look cool hahha.

Most starfish are not usually hardy long-term because they have bigger or more refined appetites than we can usually cater to. Red Linckia and Blue Linckia Starfish typically are not very hardy for this reason, as are Sand Sifting Starfish, Sand Dollars, and that Flame Scallop you mention.

Green Serpent aka Green Brittle Starfish as well as the Banded Serpents are known to eat small fish and other crustaceans. These guys are all nocturnal and hang out in the rocks.

Black Brittle Starfish are known as being hardy long-term. My BBS is about 6 or 7 years old. The Black Brittles are reef safe in my experience, and I haven't heard any reliable sources say otherwise. The Black Brittles are nocturnal and hang out in the rocks eating leftovers and stirring up detritus.

Here's an oldie, but a goodie: http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-06/ac/feature/index.php

[Son Of Skyline]

Hi how many reef custodians do I typically need for a 75g tank? I went JL and they said to get Package #5

60 - Blue Legged Hermits
10 - Red Scarlet Hermit
20 - Astrea Snails
20 - Margarita Snails
20 - Cerith Snails

Seems way too overkill and just want to milk money from new hobbyist like me lol.

That package is waaay too much for a 75 gal. I'd go with something more like 5-10 hermits and 10-15 snails total.

In my 70 gal I have one hermit crab and one big strawberry top hat snail. All other leftover food is eaten by my natural cleanup crew (small brittle stars, pods, bristle worms...etc). Tank has been running for 4 years and all is well.

Over the years nice noticed that a huge cleanup crew increases your bio load too much. I'd rather keep 2 extra fish than 40 hermits which will dwindle down 10 within months anyway.

[subman]

I wish my clean up crew was ....no hermits or snails. They are both a huge pain in the butt. Always knocking stuff over, stealing food from corals and getting into areas they shouldn't get to (ie pumps)

Bristle worms, brittle stars and conchs are perfect. I also like shrimp mainly because they are nice additions to the tank not as much for cleaning.